According to MailOnline, JJ Slater, a Married At First Sight UK contestant, has been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
The 31-year-old E4 candidate was rushed to the hospital a few days before Christmas after experiencing lightheadedness and a 1.5-stone weight loss in three weeks, resulting in a worsening in his general health.
JJ received a call from his doctor in the middle of the night, telling him that a blood test revealed that his sugar levels were dangerously high, putting him at risk of diabetic ketoacidosis, which can be fatal.
Panicked and terrified, JJ was told by the nurse that ‘from this day forward your life will never be the same’ after learning that his 31-year-old diagnosis requires him to inject himself with insulin four times a day and limit his food consumption.
JJ says he is still coming to terms with the shift and is doing his best to learn about how to manage his illness because there is no treatment for type 1 diabetes.
‘The first signs were that I always felt thirsty and needed to go the toilet in the middle of the night. I was waking up 4-5 times needing the toilet,’ JJ told MailOnline.
‘Then I started to lose weight quite quickly. I lost about a stone and a half in three weeks, but I was still eating the same and going to the gym every day. I hadn’t changed anything, but my body was deteriorating so I knew something was wrong. I was getting lightheaded often, I was on the sofa watching TV and then stood up and fell to the floor… so, I knew something wasn’t right. I had a blood test and my doctor said I probably wouldn’t hear anything until after Christmas, but I woke up the following morning to three missed calls from 111 and voicemails saying “as soon as you wake up, go to hospital”… I have never woken up so quickly. I panicked thinking it was the worst news.’