Earlier this year Emma Watkins (a.k.a the yellow Wiggle) opened up about her harrowing battle with endometriosis which forced her to bow out of the group’s Aussie tour and undergo surgery.
Now the beloved performer has opened up in more detail about the debilitating disease and her private struggles.
Speaking with Australian Story, Watkins revealed how she felt “really tired and run down” as well as bleeding, nausea and cramping before finally collapsing one day while in the recording studio.
“She was just absolutely in agony and she couldn’t get up and she didn’t know why,” estranged husband and bandmate Lachlan Gillespie recalled.
“She just had such strong cramps and couldn’t move. So that was really frightening.”
RELATED: Yellow Wiggle Emma Watkins Forced To Stop Touring Due To Endometriosis
Emma was later diagnosed with stage 4 endometriosis, the most severe form of the disease and she underwent surgery in April 2018 and took just six weeks off for recovery.
The 28-year-old was torn with how to publicly deal with her situation, knowing that if she simply took a break from performing “everyone would think I was pregnant”.
She ultimately decided to be open about her battle which will no doubt help countless others who are going through the same thing, or who have the same symptoms and might be inspired to seek help because of her story.
Endometriosis is a common disease that occurs when uterine tissue grows outside the uterus (most commonly the surrounding reproductive organs, bowel and bladder), resulting in unusually intense period pain, ovulation pain, heavy menstrual bleeding and fertility issues.
According to Endometriosis Australia, 10% of women suffer with endometriosis at some point in their lives, with the disease often starting in teenagers. Symptoms are variable and this may contribute to the 7 to 10 year delay in diagnosis.
Emma joins a growing list of stars who are speaking out about their battle with the disease including actress Lena Dunham and Olympic swimmer Emily Seebohm.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
