Brian Austin Green Says His Chronic Illness Was a 'Battle' & Caused Extreme Weight Loss
Brian Austin Green opened up about his “battle” with ulcerative colitis, telling Good Morning America that his most recent flare-up resulted in him losing a whopping 20 pounds.
Green spoke with the morning show alongside girlfriend Sharna Burgess, sharing that he’s dealt with bouts of ulcerative colitis “a few times.” “It’s a real rough experience,” he continued, adding that while he was familiar with the condition, Burgess “had never experienced it at all.”
Burgess then admitted she had not previously known how difficult ulcerative colitis could be until she witnessed it firsthand.
“I didn’t realize how debilitating it was until I saw [Brian] and I watched weight drop off him,” she said. And indeed, according to Green, this most recent flare-up — the symptoms of which lasted nearly seven weeks — left him “about 20 pounds” lighter than before.
There is technically no cure for the inflammatory bowel disease, though Green explained he’s since been able to manage his symptoms through diet. “As long as I can keep things within my system that my body doesn’t think I’m poisoning it with, then it doesn’t fight back,” he told GMA, noting that no longer eats dairy or gluten. “I would eat food and…it was like my body didn’t process any of it,” he recalled. “It’s such a battle.”
"As long as I can keep things within my system that my body doesn't think I'm poisoning it with … then it doesn't fight back." @withBAGpod and @SharnaBurgess open up to @kayleehartung about the actor's recent battle with ulcerative colitis. https://t.co/qrwjBZayIg pic.twitter.com/Okwrh2JQ73
— Good Morning America (@GMA) May 19, 2022
The 48-year-old first addressed his colitis via social media in April.
“I disappeared from Instagram for a while…I had ulcerative colitis for about six and a half weeks,” he shared via Instagram video on April 13. Green also noted that the experience “wasn’t very fun” and had especially “horrible timing,” as Burgess was seven months pregnant at the time.
“Sharna was amazing…pregnant, taking care of my three young kids,” he continued, confessing that he she was able to care for him despite his being “super bedridden” for a large portion of the flare-up. “I’m thankful to have someone like her in my life.”
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