According to estimations from the American Diabetes Association, more than 30 million Americans live with…
According to estimations from the American Diabetes Association, more than 30 million Americans live with diabetes — a number that includes some of your favorite actors, singers, athletes, and TV hosts. Here’s what these famous faces have had to say about managing their type 1 or type 2 diagnoses.
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Tom Hanks
The Oscar-winner was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2013. The actor says yo-yo dieting for film roles could have been a contributing factor. “I’m part of the lazy American generation that has blindly kept dancing through the party and now finds ourselves with a malady … I was a total idiot,” he told E! News.
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Halle Berry
Berry was diagnosed with diabetes when she was 19 years-old and has since cut out [most] processed sugars and bread from her diet. She initially said the diagnosis left her petrified, thinking she was “going to die,” but now she says, “Diabetes turned out to be a gift.” She told the Daily Mail:“It gave me strength and toughness because I had to face reality, no matter how uncomfortable or painful it was.”
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Sharon Stone
People often ask the 61-year-old actress with type 1 diabetes her secret to staying in shape. Her reply: “My secret is no secret,” she told E! News, “I just do all the things you’re supposed to do. I eat right, I sleep, I work out, I’m happy. I choose the good things.”
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Nick Jonas
Priyanka Chopra’s husband was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 13. “It was something I thought would slow me down before I even got started,” he said at the 2017 Radio Disney Music Awards. “But thankfully it didn’t, and I’m in the healthiest place I’ve been since my diagnosis.” In November 2019, he wrote on Instagram: “This experience has shaped how I approach my health – working out, eating well, and always thinking about my blood sugar and insulin needs.”
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Vanessa Williams
The chanteuse is a type 1 diabetic who supports multiple charities for diabetes research. “I am happy for my journey,” she told Essence. “I am right where I am supposed to be, and I’m looking forward to where I’m going in the future.”
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Patti LaBelle
LaBelle discovered she had diabetes after passing out on stage during a performance. Since then, she’s overhauled her diet, trading in her favorite seven-cheese mac for egg whites and oatmeal. Her mother, who also had diabetes, needed to amputate her legs while her uncle went blind from the disease, Labelle told People. “You can take hold of the situation,” she added. “I feel great now. I live the right way. I wear fierce clothes. Everything I do now, I do it proud. I am a divabetic!”
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Paula Deen
It’s no question that Deen loves her butter, but a type 2 diabetes diagnosis in 2009 prompted the chef to shift her diet. “I’ve always preached moderation,” she told the New York Times in 2012. “I don’t blame myself.”
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George Lucas
The Star Wars creator found out he had type 2 diabetes when he was getting a checkup during his draft for the Vietnam War. According to Diabetes U.K., Lucas inherited the disease from his paternal grandfather.
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Sherri Shepherd
“If you have diabetes, it’s not a death sentence,” Shepherd told U.S. News. “And if you’re pre-diabetic, don’t sit in the dark and try to ignore it. So many people are paralyzed with fear, but knowledge is power.”
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James Earl Jones
The veteran actor first found out he had type 2 diabetes after he fell asleep sitting on a bench at the gym. Since then, he’s relied on his family to help him eat healthier. “I love working, and at my age I still love being able to put in eight shows a week on a play or handle a long schedule if I’m doing film or television,” he previously said. “I didn’t want that to stop, so I had to take responsibility with my condition.”
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Sonia Sotomayor
The Associate Justice of the Supreme Court first noticed her type 1 diabetes symptoms at the age of seven. She says her early diagnosis taught her to multitask, which later helped with school work. “Diabetes is a constant part of my life,” she told the Children’s Congress of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in 2011. However it hasn’t stopped her from securing her “dream job.”
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Theresa May
The former British prime minister was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and now relies on up to five daily doses of insulin. “The crucial thing to me is being a diabetic doesn’t stop you from doing anything,” she said during a Facebook Live interview in 2017.
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S. Epatha Merkerson
The Law and Order actress, whose father and grandmother died due to issues associated with type 2 diabetes, was diagnosed with the same disease at 50. Since then, she’s implemented a healthier diet. “My diagnosis was a wake-up call,” she told USA Today. “I knew I had to start making serious changes to my lifestyle to take control of my health.”
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Drew Carey
The Price is Right host has also committed to a leaner life since he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, shedding 80 pounds on a no-carb diet.
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Randy Jackson
The producer and former American Idol judge was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2003. “I realized a lot of things that can happen if you don’t manage it, which is why I encourage everyone to do so,” he told Health.
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Lea DeLaria
Since her type 2 diabetes diagnosis, the Orange is the New Black actress lost 50 pounds while adjusting to a new eating plan. “I was told that you can either eat potatoes or have beer,” DeLaria shared with People in 2015. “So I went with beer. So here I am. It is what it is.”
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Gabourey Sidibe
The 36-year-old actress had laparoscopic bariatric surgery in 2016 after receiving a type 2 diabetes diagnosis. “I truly didn’t want to worry about all the effects that go along with diabetes,” she told People. “I genuinely [would] worry all the time about losing my toes.” In her book, This Is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare she adds, “It has taken me years to realize that what I was born with is all beautiful. I did not get this surgery to be beautiful. I did it so I can walk around comfortably in heels. I want not to be in pain every time I walk up a flight of stairs.”
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Larry King
The 85-year-old television personality was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Since then, he’s tried to maintain a healthy lifestyle. “I follow my doctor’s wishes, I take my prescription drugs, I take a lot of vitamins,” he told the LA Times in 2015.
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Chaka Khan
“The diagnosis snapped me right out of the depression,” Khan said about discovering she had type 2 diagnosis after a bad breakup. “I said to myself, I’m not going to live like this.” She told Health Monitor, “Diabetes was my new beginning.”
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Delta Burke
The Emmy-nominated actress from Designing Women was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes after facing ridicule for on-screen weight gain. Today, Burke is working to spread overall awareness about the disease. “I’ve bounced back from it all,” she told Diabetic Living.
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Bret Michaels
“My challenge was brought on early because I had no choice,” the Poison lead singer told Yahoo Lifestyle of his type 1 diabetes, which he was diagnosed with at age six. “And in some great way it really helped me step up to the plate.”
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Billie Jean King
“Anyone can develop diabetes, even an athlete,” the legendary tennis player told Health. The thing she misses the most since her type 2 diagnosis? Bagels.
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Anne Rice
The Interview with the Vampire author was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes later in life, leading to a near-death experience. Since then, she’s learned “to eat small meals, lots of protein, and very few carbs,” she told Health Monitor. “I’m grateful to have a second chance.”
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Jerry Mathers
The Leave It to Beaver actor manages to keep his type 2 diabetes at bay by exercising and focusing on portion control, even during the holidays. The 71-year-old reminds folks via Home Cures, “Don’t overindulge. There’s a tomorrow.”
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Jay Cutler
The former NFL quarterback was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2008 but that didn’t stopped him from achieving his game day goals. “When I first got it, I was 24, I just kind of ate whatever I wanted, did whatever I wanted, lived however I wanted,” he told ESPN. “As I get older and maybe a little bit wiser you realize how much stuff affects your body and what it can do.”
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David “Boomer” Wells
When the former Yankees pitcher was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, he immediately cut out starch and sugar. “I want to be around for awhile,” he told ESPN. “If you don’t take care of this, it can lead to some scary stuff, like losing limbs. If anyone has this, it’s a red flag, period. But if I follow the rules I’ve been given, there’s no problem.”
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Earl “The Pearl” Monroe
The retired basketball player was in his mid-fifties when he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. “People with diabetes can look at me, know I played professional basketball, and recognize the fact that we all have the same problem, regardless of who we are,” Monroe told Everyday Health.
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Damon Dash
The entrepreneur and music producer calls himself an “OG of diabetes” since he’s lived with type 1 diabetes for most of his life.
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