Model's journey from fatigue to agony to fresh hope...

Her harrowing experience began three years ago, when actress and model Jess Impiazzi would feel overwhelmed by a mysterious fatigue. Her condition quickly worsened and she was diagnosed with lupus. Now in remission, she has pledged to help her fellow sufferers

- By Lucy Johnston SOCIAL AFFAIRS EDITOR

ACTRESS Jess Impiazzi has spoken out about overcoming a debilitating illness which left her weak, covered in rashes and suffering agonising joint pain and hair loss.

The former Celebrity Big Brother finalist was diagnosed with lupus, a disease in which the body's immune system attacks itself, and has vowed to dedicate her life to helping others living with similar conditions.

Jess, 36, will launch an organisation for auto-immune disease sufferers next month, to direct them to experts who can help them recover or improve their condition.

Her harrowing journey began in late 2022. "It was a gradual process and by the end of December of that year I just didn't feel myself," she says.

The model and actress, who was born in Wandsworth, South London, and studied at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, was used to running about three miles a day but suddenly felt too fatigued to exercise and experienced gut problems. A month later her symptoms got worse, leading to severe pain and difficulty in swallowing.

By May 2023 her health deteriorated and her condition was exacerbated with the loss of her father, Colin, from cancer.