{"id":207376,"date":"2024-02-23T19:32:20","date_gmt":"2024-02-23T19:32:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/23\/her-graves-disease-dementia-and-aphasia-hollywood-life\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T17:21:40","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T17:21:40","slug":"her-graves-disease-dementia-and-aphasia-hollywood-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/23\/her-graves-disease-dementia-and-aphasia-hollywood-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Her Graves Disease, Dementia and Aphasia \u2013 Hollywood Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Wendy Williams\u00a0<\/strong><\/a>first revealed her diagnosis of Graves\u2019 disease in 2018, and she admitted at the time that she hadn\u2019t been watching out for her own health when it happened. \u201cWe, as women, particularly if \u2014 we have families, you know, we\u2019re taking care of children, we\u2019re taking care of, you know, home, our husbands, we take care of everybody but ourselves,\u201d she told Good Morning America\u00a0<\/i>at the time, per PEOPLE<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd it\u2019s really unfortunate. And that \u2014 that is something that has no socioeconomic thing to it. No matter what \u2014 no matter what the woman\u2019s status is, it seems like we\u2019re all in the same boat,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m not doing that anymore. Wendy first.\u201d<\/p>\n

Five years later, Wendy was diagnosed with \u201cprimary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia (FTD),\u201d according to a statement shared by her medical team. Actor Bruce Willis<\/strong><\/a> also suffers from FTD.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s everything to know about Wendy Williams\u2019 battle with Graves\u2019 disease, FTD and aphasia from her initial diagnosis to how she\u2019s doing today.<\/p>\n

Wendy Williams Was Diagnosed With Multiple Illnesses<\/h2>\n
\"Wendy
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In February of 2018, Wendy opened an important public discussion about Graves\u2019 disease.\u00a0\u201cMy thyroid has been totally cattywampus and that is the eye thing that you all have been seeing. You caught it before I did,\u201d she told the audience during her show, per CBS News<\/em><\/a>. She also explained that her hyperthyroidism is connected to the diagnosis. \u201cMy thyroid, my hyperthyroid is attached also to Graves\u2019 disease,\u201d she explained. \u201cGraves\u2019 disease squeezes the muscles behind your eyeballs and so that\u2019s the reason for \u2014 \u201d she then opened her eyes wide to explain what that meant.<\/p>\n

At the time, she also admitted that she\u2019d been ordered to take a three-week hiatus from the show by her physician. She\u2019d already missed one, noting that she\u2019d been feeling like she had \u201cbirds swimming around my head, like a cartoon\u201d ahead of the diagnosis.\u00a0\u201cI\u2019ll be back in two. I\u2019m not an heiress,\u201d she quipped. \u201cWho\u2019s gonna pay my bills?\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2023, Wendy was formally diagnosed with FTD and aphasia, her medical team confirmed the following year.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn behalf of Wendy Williams Hunter, her care team is sharing this very personal update with her cherished fans, friends, and supporters to correct inaccurate and hurtful rumors about her health,\u201d a statement from Wendy\u2019s team read, per TV Insider<\/a>. \u201cWendy would not have received confirmation of these diagnoses were it not for the diligence of her current care team, who she chose, and the extraordinary work of the specialists at Weill Cornell Medicine. Receiving a diagnosis has enabled Wendy to receive the medical care she requires.\u201d<\/p>\n

The statement continued, \u201cThe decision to share this news was difficult and made after careful consideration, not only to advocate for understanding and compassion for Wendy, but to raise awareness about aphasia and frontotemporal dementia and support the thousands of others facing similar circumstances. Unfortunately, many individuals diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia face stigma and misunderstanding, particularly when they begin to exhibit behavioral changes but have not yet received a diagnosis.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wendy\u2019s family revealed in an interview with PEOPLE<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>they weren\u2019t told she was diagnosed with dementia. Her sister Wanda Finnie <\/strong>said the family has been out of the loop about Wendy\u2019s health since the fall of 2021, before Wendy was placed under a court-controlled guardianship. \u201cWhen she was in Florida, there were a number of people involved. Even beyond family, there were doctors involved, people in Wendy\u2019s professional world that were involved,\u201d Wanda recalled. \u201cShe had a health team in place, nurses in place and she had family in place. She was getting healthier.\u201d<\/p>\n

What Is Aphasia?<\/h2>\n

Aphasia is \u201ca condition affecting language and communication abilities,\u201d Wendy\u2019s medical team explained in their statement.<\/p>\n

What Is Graves\u2019 disease?<\/h2>\n

Graves\u2019 disease is defined by the Mayo Clinic<\/a><\/em> as \u201can immune system disorder that results in the overproduction of thyroid hormones. Symptoms can include irritability, bulging eyes, weight loss, anxiety, tremors in the hands, fatigue, and heat sensitivity. Wendy had admitted on her show that she felt stressed out and highly irritable leading up to her diagnosis.<\/p>\n

What Is Frontotemporal Dementia?<\/h2>\n

Per the statement shared by Wendy\u2019s medical team, FTD is \u201ca progressive disorder impacting behavior and cognitive functions.\u201d Living with this condition has \u201cpresented significant hurdles in Wendy\u2019s life.\u201d<\/p>\n

How Long Has Wendy Been Sick?<\/h2>\n

As noted earlier, Wendy was diagnosed with Graves\u2019 disease in 2018. She noted in her Good Morning America interview that year that menopause had obfuscated her symptoms.\u00a0\u201cWith the menopause I wasn\u2019t pointing a finger to any particular thing,\u201d she told GMA<\/em>\u2018s Amy Robach<\/strong>. \u201cI was just feeling like \u2018All right, well I\u2019m 53 and this is I guess how it\u2019s supposed to be.’\u201d<\/p>\n

She also noted that when she had passed out publicly during her show on Halloween of 2017, she\u2019d been found to have elevated blood pressure.\u00a0\u201cEven in October when I passed out on Halloween<\/a>, that particular day when the EMTs got there I had high blood pressure, which I never have high blood pressure,\u201d she said. \u201cMy blood pressure is always either perfect or low. It\u2019s never high. But it was high and the lack of sodium so they were filling me with electrolytes, just fill, fill, fill, fill. I can\u2019t believe that I got up after the commercial break and closed out the show.\u201d<\/p>\n

How Is Wendy Doing Today?<\/h2>\n
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\u201cI feel a hundred percent better<\/a> than I was a few months ago,\u201d Wendy told PEOPLE<\/em><\/a> in 2018. \u201cI had a storm going in my body is the best way I can explain it. It came from me neglecting my six month endocrinology appointment. I have Graves disease<\/a> and hyperthyroid. If you have one you don\u2019t necessarily have to have the other, but I have both, and I was diagnosed with both 19 years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her full commitment to health began before the end of her show<\/a> in 2022.\u00a0\u201cI love doing the show, but I love me more,\u201d she told PEOPLE<\/em>. \u201cSo I\u2019m going to take care of me, so I can be there for them.\u201d In October of 2022, it was reported that she had left a rehab facility after two months of treatment for \u201coverall health issues.\u201d<\/a> \u201cWe are happy to report that Wendy Williams is home and healing after being in a wellness facility since August,\u201d Wendy\u2019s rep,\u00a0Shawn Zanotti<\/strong>, told Page Six<\/em><\/a> in a statement at the time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWendy is excited about the road ahead and looking forward to releasing her many projects,\u201d the statement read. \u201cThank you to my fans for your love, support and many prayers, I am back and better than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

She suffered a setback, though, by 2023 after being diagnosed with FTD and aphasia. Wendy\u2019s family decided to speak out about her life now and condition in the doc Where Is Wendy Williams?<\/em><\/a> which premiered in early 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s anyone Wendy needed more than her family,\u201d Wanda told\u00a0PEOPLE\u00a0<\/em>after the release of the doc, which highlights Wendy\u2019s health issues, and how her guardianship has kept her away from her family. \u201cSeparate the money part: All I want to know is that my sister is going to live and that she\u2019s going to be healthy,\u201d Wanda added. \u201cThe concern of the family has always been Wendy\u2019s health.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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