Welsh singer Marina Diamandis has revealed she has been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (ME).
The artist, 37, formerly known by her stage name Marina and the Diamonds, took to Instagram to share that she had been diagnosed after seven years of battling symptoms including “brain fog, numbness and insomnia.”
In a lengthy post, Marina told her followers that her ME symptoms were caused by “chronic stress” and that she “felt like her body was being poisoned.”
However, she added that she was “starting to feel better than I have in a long time” after starting her recovery with the help of a functional medicine doctor two months ago.
She further revealed that before entering long-term treatment, she relied on “adrenaline and willpower” to manage her symptoms.
Update: Welsh singer Marina Diamandis has revealed she has been diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME).
Tough time: The artist formerly known by her stage name Marina and the Diamonds took to Instagram to share that she had been diagnosed after seven years of battling symptoms
Marina shared a fresh-faced selfie and wrote, “I have a health/life update I want to share with all of you.
‘After seven years of health problems, I was recently diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME.
“I’ve had symptoms like deep fatigue, numbness, tingling, low appetite, brain fog, rashes, insomnia, and feeling ‘poisoned’ for so long that it’s hard to remember what healthy feels like.”
‘My baseline energy has been at 50-60% for a long time. Other than a few bouts of remission, the past seven years have been relying on adrenaline and willpower to get me through each day.
‘The recovery started two months ago after an unusually intense flare-up with stabbing pains and a burning sensation over my hands, legs and back.
“After seeing countless doctors, I started working with a functional medicine practitioner to find the cause of the symptoms.”
“After much reading, I now understand that these symptoms are the result of a hypersensitive nervous system, arising in response to chronic stress.
Tough time: In a lengthy post, Marina told her followers that her ME symptoms were caused by ‘chronic stress’ and that she ‘felt like her body was being poisoned’
Tough time: Marina (pictured performing in March 2022) added that she had worked for the first time in weeks, after two months of recovery
‘My body felt stuck in ‘fight or flight mode’ and there were many warning signs it gave me before the worst symptoms started.
“Regardless of the trigger, the key to healing seems to lie in retraining the nervous system to regulate itself again.”
‘The good news is… (!) I feel better today than I have in a long time. My energy levels are around 65-70% most days and the dips I have are shorter.
‘Healing takes a lot of my energy and attention right now, but the better I feel, the sooner I can pick up my creative life again. Yesterday I worked for the first time in a long time and it felt so good.’
She continued, “I am very grateful for the lessons this experience has given me and I KNOW it will change my life for the better! I feel like I’ve been given the chance to rebuild my life from scratch, just the way I want it.
“I’ve also developed a deeper empathy for the millions of people living in silence with chronic illness… It’s hard to stay optimistic when the world feels like it’s moving on without you, but there’s always hope.
“There are always answers. The body wants to heal – and what I’ve learned is that you have to work with it, not against it.’
ME/CFS causes a range of symptoms, but the most common are extreme fatigue and feeling generally unwell.
It is estimated that around 250,000 people in the UK and 17 million worldwide have the condition.
Marina released her latest studio album, Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land, in June 2021 and promoted the record with a world tour last year.
In 2021, it was also reported that she had split from her boyfriend, Clean Bandit star Jack Patterson, after five years together.
The two musicians began dating in early 2016 after working together on collaborative tracks Disconnect and Baby.
The sun reported that the former couple lived thousands of miles apart, while Marina moved to LA to work on her fifth album Love + Fear.
A source told the publication, “Marina and Jack are no longer together and it hasn’t been easy for either of them.
They were such important parts of each other’s lives and friends thought they were perfect together. No one would have been surprised if he had asked the question.
“They lived together in London and had a great life, but I think the lockdown has really made them re-evaluate what they want.
Reflecting on her previous album, she continued, “Love + Fear was such a different record and it was a very good songwriting collaboration, which is what I needed at the time.”
“At that point in my life, I just felt very insecure about everything. I came from two years where I just felt really depressed in a way where I started questioning my decision making.”
“But I feel very different on this record. I think I have much more confidence and my life is more balanced. I’ve made several changes in my professional life and that always translates into the art, when you have a team that facilitates your ideas and helps you create what you want.’
“I feel like I’m in control. It feels so liberating and empowering not to have to fight with your label to develop your ideas.’