Celebrity Traitors’ Miranda Hart opens up about her recovery from ‘debilitating’ Lyme disease

Miranda Hart has opened up about the illness that left her wondering if she’d ever be able to enjoy a simple walk in the park again, after sharing a moving update on Celebrity Traitors.

During Friday’s episode, the comedian reflected on how far she’s come while taking part in the show’s Highland challenges, admitting she was surprised by what her body could now manage.

Via BBC

“Three or four years ago, due to illness, I thought that I may not ever have a gentle walk around a park again,” she said. “And now I find myself up a Scottish Highland, wheelbarrowing along a very large head. It’s really exciting.”

Miranda has previously spoken about her struggles with chronic illness, including Lyme disease and myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).

In 2024, Miranda revealed that she had also experienced agoraphobia before receiving her ME diagnosis. The illnesses had a huge impact on her life and career, with the comedian previously describing her experience of making her hit sitcom Miranda as like “wading through treacle”.

She also explained at the Cheltenham Literature Festival just how much her life changed while she was unwell, saying: “I was housebound and bedbound for years. I didn’t have a job, I didn’t have a social life. I didn’t have any responsibilities or identities.”

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Miranda Hart (@realmirandahart)

Miranda largely stepped away from the public eye during this period, later describing it as living “a half life [and] a very debilitated life”.

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After reaching what she described as rock bottom, she underwent a series of blood tests. It was only then that medical experts were able to connect the dots and diagnose her with Lyme disease.

The infection is thought to have potentially originated when Miranda was living in Virginia as a teenager. The US state is an area where Lyme disease is prevalent, with the bacterial infection transmitted through bites from infected blacklegged ticks.

According to Lyme Disease UK, Miranda has previously said she first became unwell as a teenager and never returned to having a normal level of energy. She was subsequently diagnosed with ME/CFS, while Lyme disease was not confirmed as the underlying cause until 2020.

Ahead of her appearance on Celebrity Traitors, Miranda also spoke to the BBC about how she’s managing her health today.

Via BBC

“I’m still living with elements of ME, and that brings fatigue and pain to manage, but I have come to a point where I feel well enough to step out, and that’s also partly why I’m doing this,” she said.

She also reflected on how difficult chronic illness can be for other people to understand, particularly when the symptoms aren’t immediately visible.

“When you live with a chronic illness, it’s invisible, so people don’t know that you’re sitting there in pain. But then it reminds you that everybody’s got their thing,” she added.

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Featured image via BBC, Instagram