Vicky Pattison, who is appearing on Saturday Kitchen today (June 28), once opened up about her painful PMDD diagnosis.
The I’m A Celebrity… star, 37, spoke of her ‘shame’ during an interview back in December.
Vicky Pattison on PMDD diagnosis
In December 2024, Vicky Pattison opened up about her Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) diagnosis during an appearance on Good Morning Britain.
According to Mind, PMDD is a very severe form of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). It causes a range of emotional and physical symptoms every month during the week or two before your period. PMDD can cause mental health symptoms such as anxiety and depression, as well as joint pain, headaches, and sleep problems. Research has suggested that your genetics, smoking, and trauma or stress can cause PMDD.
Speaking about her own diagnosis, Vicky said: “My experiences when I went to discuss my symptoms were horrendous. For years, for five years, I was dismissed, I was made to feel ashamed… for the majority of the time it was men.”
View this post on Instagram
‘They lack empathy’
The star, who rocketed to fame on Geordie Shore back in 2011, said: “I think they lack an understanding and empathy towards what we’re going through as women, whether that be someone suffering with PMDD, adenomyosis, endometriosis – the list is absolutely endless.”
In December, Vicky also spoke to Women’s Health about her PMDD diagnosis. The star explained that she didn’t notice any changes until she was in her thirties.
“In the time leading up to my period, my symptoms became incredibly heightened. Initially, I just noticed things were getting worse and it was a slow escalation, over time, to the situation becoming very hard to deal with. This culminated in my dealing with intense PMS symptoms for two to three weeks of the month leading up to my period. The closer to coming on, the worse the symptoms get,” she said.
Vicky on being ‘ignored’ by doctors
The star continued: “Then there’s the insomnia at night because of crippling anxiety and the scariest part: losing any interest in things that normally really interest us. There’s a huge part of it that renders me despondent and disinterested. Then, I spiral. The things that used to bring us joy no longer do – and then really dark thoughts start to sneak in. I consider myself to be a relatively headstrong person, but [my experience of PMDD] is that it consumes you,” she said.
She also said that she would feel “rage” towards her husband, Ercan Ramadan, when suffering the symptoms of PMDD.
“I did start to go to the doctors, but every time I felt like I was pacified. I’d get told stuff like: ‘Periods do get worse as women get older.’ It made me feel weak, like I just couldn’t handle something every woman has to,” she said.
View this post on Instagram
Getting the help she needed
After posting about PMDD on her Instagram during lockdown, Vicky went back to the doctors, who advised her to have her contraceptive implant removed. This did have a positive effect for a while. However, things “still weren’t right”. After returning to the doctors, Vicky was told it would take her body time to adjust. However, the doctor’s advice just made the star feel “ignored”.
In the end, the star went to a private doctor, who confirmed she was suffering from PMDD. The validation made Vicky feel more positive. She then explained that combating the diagnosis is going to be “trial and error” in terms of having medication that will help.
However, the star admitted that it has made her feel “hopeful” about her condition for the first time in “five years”.
Read more: Vicky Pattison’s ‘regret’ at having sex on TV: ‘My mum stopped talking to me’
Catch Vicky on Saturday Kitchen today (June 28) from 9.30am on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
What do you think of this story? Tell us on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix.