Coeliac champion Dr Chris reveals on TV he has disease

TELEVISION doctor Chris Steele yesterday announced he has been diagnosed with coeliac disease, the condition he has been trying to raise awareness of as ambassador for the charity Coeliac UK.

Dr Chris, 64, announced he had the auto-immune disease on ITV's This Morning, where he is the show's resident doctor.

Coeliac disease is caused by intolerance to gluten, which causes damage to the gut lining. There is no cure and the only treatment is strict adherence to a gluten-free diet. Without a gluten-free diet, the disease can lead to other conditions, such as osteoporosis, infertility, multiple miscarriages and can cause bowel cancer.

Despite being the ambassador of Coeliac UK for three years, Dr Chris had no idea he had the illness. However, over recent months he had been suffering abdominal symptoms and his GP referred him to a gastroenterologist.

He said: "I have been having symptoms of diarrhoea, abdominal pain and fatigue on and off for many years, but it wasn't until they got so bad recently that I did anything about it."

Symptoms include bloating, abdominal pain, nausea, anaemia, weight loss and depression. Coeliac UK estimates that more than 500,000 sufferers remain undiagnosed in the UK.