04 January 2024 , 22:52
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Big Brother legend Imogen Thomas has shared her devastation over the fact her beloved mother has been diagnosed with a major health condition and issued a plea to her fans on social media, asking them to get in touch if they or anyone they knew were living with the same condition as her mum.
The 41-year-old reality star - who was a contestant on Big Brother in 2006 - had known about her mother’s Motor Neurone Disease diagnosis for six months. And on Thursday, she felt compelled to share the sad news after watching an episode of Coronation Street.
Fans of the long-running ITV show will know that the character Paul Foreman, played by 38-year-old Peter Ash, has had his life shattered by a Motor Neurone Disease diagnosis of his own. The heartbreaking scenes that have been airing on Corrie hit home for Imogen, who was moved to share he mother’s brave battle.
Taking to Instagram, the Welsh reality star shared a montage of images and videos of her mum. She also wrote an emotional message alongside the montage, revealing: “There is no easy way to say this... Six months ago- Our mum was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND).
Big Brother icon Imogen Thomas is ‘heartbroken' over her mother's Motor Neurone Disease diagnosis (imogen_thomas/Instagram)
She shared her sad family news with fans online (imogen_thomas/Instagram)“For those who are not aware of MND, it’s an uncommon condition that affects the brain and nerves. It causes weakness that gets worse over time. It’s rapidly progressing, life-threatening condition that affects six people in the UK every single day. The worst part is there’s no cure. It’s been a journey we never expected and hoped it would never be.”
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Imogen continued: “Whilst we try to navigate through this difficult time we think it’s important to share because it’s in these moments that we find the strength to raise awareness and for our mum to connect with others who understand what she’s going through. Sometimes Counselling just doesn’t cut it.”
Referencing Corrie, Imogen went on: “The Wednesday’s Coronation Street storyline featuring Paul and Billy struck a chord we never expected. It felt like watching our own emotional rollercoaster, the ups and downs of trying to pin down what’s going on.
Imogen is helping her mum through her health battle (imogen_thomas/Instagram)
The reality star is also ensuring she creates happy memories with her mum (imogen_thomas/Instagram)"Can you believe we went through three misdiagnoses? Spent a fortune in Harley street to be told anything but MND. We even sent my mum to rehab in Leeds for a month believing she would make a miraculous recovery as she was told she had FND which is a neurological disorder. Looking back now her determination during rehab was incredible.”
Explaining that she's hoping to 'connect' with other people living with MND, Imogen continued: “My sister and I are heartbroken and still in disbelief. It’s hard to wrap our heads around. We just don’t want to believe it. My mum has some great friends. We would love to connect with others in the same situation to share experiences and support each other.”
She added: “We’re trying to stay as positive as possible by ticking off the bucket list... life is short and precious. We are grabbing it with both hands for as long as we can... As I said above my mum and I would love to connect with anyone experiencing the same as us.”
The devastating update provoked a flood of support from followers - with many sharing their own heartbreaking stories. One fan responded, writing: “Make the most of your time together that’s all we can do I’m in the same situation my mum has MS we got to enjoy the good days.”