Ioan Gruffudd's fiancée Bianca Wallace says seeing Kate Middleton being coerced into sharing her cancer diagnosis was eerily similar to the origins of her decision to open up about her own troubled health.
The 31-year-old Australian actress revealed in 2022 that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018 - a disease that can affect the brain and spinal cord with symptoms including excessive tiredness and difficulty moving. While more recently Bianca has found happiness with 50-year-old Welsh actor Ioan - who confirmed earlier this year that they are engaged - her personal life has also seen extreme strain.
In a new social media post, Bianca has claimed she was bullied into revealing her multiple sclerosis diagnosis after vicious trolls taunted her about it. They said they knew about her health condition and threatened to leak the news to the world.
Bianca says the ordeal had a detrimental affect on her health - but wants to bare all after being inspired by the dignity of Catherine, Princess of Wales, 42, who revealed this month that she is battling an undisclosed kind of cancer after online speculation about her health reached deafening levels.
Ioan and Bianca confirmed their engagement earlier this year - two years after she revealed she is battling MS (No credit)In her astonishing online post, Bianca opened up about her health battle - sharing a lengthy statement via Instagram: “The Princess of Wales going through difficult health issues and then bullied into revealing these has brought up many thoughts and feelings. It is MS Awareness Month and I want to share with you my personal experience of being publicly bullied and having MS.”
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Describing details of the initial period after her diagnosis, Bianca continued: “During 2018 - 2021 it was a particularly difficult period in my life. An aggressive MS diagnosis, decided life was short and changed careers, I left an abusive marriage after many years, lived on my own for a year, began healing, worked on my health, fell in love with someone from 11,000kms away during a worldwide travel ban, I was police relocated from my home in Brisbane, and then finally after 3 years of battling for myself and my life, and after months of being assisted by Queensland Police with visas, etc, l arrived in France on 25 September 2021 where I would begin my new journey and new life.”
She says she started to receive vicious comments soon after moving to Europe. Bianca wrote: “One month after landing in France, I was used as collateral in one of the most unbelievable post separation abuse campaigns that many have seen.
“Within days of the abuse starting, the MS was discovered, and my secret health issues were publicly, and very happily exposed. My privacy, safety and health were taken away. Years of surviving, battling, keeping it hidden, growing, learning - the proudest 3 years of my life. 3 years were replaced with terrible made-up stories, outing the MS and years of a non-stop stream of lies and bullying across social media and in turn, the media. Online campaigners tagging me in, and sending me, ‘Walking stick give aways’ and ‘Wheelchair sales’ posts, my family and I received hundreds of messages of hate saying they hope the MS kills me, that I should kill myself, that my family should be ashamed to be linked to me…”
She then explosively claimed that a journalist working for a tabloid: "who is also a close friend to the person conducting the campaign emailed with the same false story being stated online, as well as threatening to expose the MS. Constant taunting of the MS (with the last email targeting the MS only a few months ago), a particularly disturbing moment after a live interview with a British talk show on 11 November 2021 was carried out. Hours after the interview finished, receiving the email ‘Want more?’… Days later a similar voice messages with laughter and further threats of 'doing much worse than Lorraine’.”
Bianca says she then made the decision to take control of the narrative about her health. She said: “It was 2 months before I finally built up the courage and made the decision to take over my story and do the video discussing my diagnosis for the first time.
“So, why am I bringing all of this up for MS awareness month? Because it's not ok! Because we have no idea what a person is really going through in life and don't have the right to assume. Because the world watched on and demanded answers from Princess Catherine and when they weren't getting any, made up their own stories and pushed them as real. I didn't deserve to have the MS exposed, made so much worse by the lies and harassment attached.”
She continued: “We have to do better. A chronic illness diagnosis, no matter the illness, is huge and it takes serious work and a lot of time to come to terms with.”
Bianca went on to say the stress of the campaign against her affected her health and sparked “two MS attacks” - and shared her concern that others who may have been less mentally resolute may not have been able to survive. She concluded by stating she has met “so many incredible humans” in the years since she declared her health status and says she wants to fight back against the risks bullying can add to personal health battles.
Her message was met with messages of support and concern, with one writing in reply: “Oh my Gosh Bianca. The abuse you have received is astonishing. Do not feel it has gone unnoticed. Many have witnessed this scorched earth campaign and are appalled. Thru it all you have been positive and brave.”
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