Do you ever wonder if there are any famous people or celebrities with Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Well, here’s a list of 33 celebrities with Rheumatoid Arthritis ranging from movie stars to painters to athletes, all celebrities in their own rights, that have been diagnosed with RA.
- Kathleen Turner
The two-time Golden Globe winner was diagnosed with RA in 1992.
She underwent 12 surgeries but was still advised by her doctor that she will eventually be confined in a wheelchair.
She attests that doing Pilates twice a week has saved her from succumbing to a wheelchair.
- Tatum O’Neal
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The Oscar winner and ex-wife of John McEnroe was diagnosed with RA at the age of 50.
She has undergone back surgery to help with her condition and attributes leading a healthy lifestyle including doing Pilates as major factors in keeping her healthy.
- Camryn Manheim
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The Emmy award winner actress was diagnosed with RA in 2004, at the young age of 44.
It took 8 months before she was diagnosed with RA and she has often emphasized on the importance of being diagnosed correctly and having a proper treatment plan.
- Megan Park
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The Secret Life of the American Teenager star was diagnosed with RA when she was still a kid.
She has since been raising awareness of the disease with the help of Joint Decisions and has been sharing her story, breaking the misconception that only older people get RA.
- Grace Bannon
The Middle actress was diagnosed with RA at the age of 15. She was initially diagnosed with Still’s disease but when they had her try the RA biologic drug Kineret, her condition got better.
She has been taking injections every day since and has been doing yoga to help with her condition.
- Matt Iseman
The American Ninja Warrior host was diagnosed with RA when he was 32. He has since been raising awareness for RA.
He manages his symptoms by taking his medications and practicing Yoga.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Iseman
- Aida Turturro
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The Sopranos star was diagnosed with RA at the age of 12. Since then she has not let the disease slow her down.
According to Aida, seeing a Rheumatologist and getting the right treatment is important to lead a close to normal life with RA.
- Glenn Frey
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The Eagles guitarist suffered from RA for 15 years until his death at age 67.
It was reported that the medication he was taking for RA may have contributed to developing other health problems that led to his death.
- James Coburn
The Academy Award winner was diagnosed with RA at the height of his career.
But after taking an alternative approach to treating his RA like many celebrities with rheumatoid arthritis do, he was able to return to acting and win Best Supporting Actor at the 71st Annual Academy Awards.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Coburn
- Golnesa ‘GG’ Gharachedaghi
Bravo’s Shahs of Sunset star was diagnosed with RA at the age of 27.
Although she admitted to still not finding the right treatment for her, she’s been using non-psychoactive strains of cannabis that has helped eased her RA pain significantly.
Instagram Account: https://www.instagram.com/gg_golnesa/?hl=en
- Lucille Ball
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The I love Lucy star suffered from RA since she was 17.
She was one of the first celebrity supporters of the National Arthritis Foundation.
- Danielle Staub
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The Real Housewives of New Jersey star did not reveal that she has been living with RA until 2018 when her appearance started changing due to RA treatments.
She has continued to practice yoga and remained to be active in dancing to stay active and healthy.
- Rosalind Russell
Well known for her roles in Gypsy and His Girl Friday, Rosalind Russell was diagnosed with severe RA in 1969 that shortly forced her to retire from acting.
She has then devoted her time in raising RA awareness until her death in 1976.
In 1978, Congress honored her by founding the Rosalind Russell Medical Research Center for Arthritis at the University of California at San Francisco.
- Terry Bradshaw
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Former Quarterback for Pittsburgh Steelers has been diagnosed with RA a few years ago and has since been a part of the American College of Rheumatology’s Simple Tasks campaign for Rheumatic Disease Awareness Month (RDAM).
- Kristy McPherson
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The LGPA golfer has been living with RA since she was 11 years old.
Because of RA, she was able to discover her love of golf and proceeded to win five LGPA titles.
- Christiaan Barnard
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The South African surgeon was famous for performing the first heart transplant in 1967.
He was diagnosed with RA in 1956 and was forced to end his surgical career in 1983 due to the disease.
- Caroline Wozniacki
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After becoming the number 1 player in women’s professional tennis, Caroline Wozniacki was diagnosed with RA.
She is planning to come back to the WTA Tour as soon as she is able to control her symptoms and get a treatment plan that works for her.
- Claire Cottrill
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The singer, songwriter who is more popularly known as Clairo has been living with RA since she was 17.
She has since written songs about her life with RA and how it affects her relationships.
- Michael Kuluva
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Former professional figure skater turned fashion designer has been living with RA since he was 28.
To raise awareness about the disease, he created his clothing line Tumbler and Tipsy aiming to make fashion more accessible to people living with RA.
- Sandy Koufax
This baseball great only played 12 season for the Dodgers due to RA.
A diagnosis of what was then called traumatic arthritis, he was forced to retire in 1966 at the age of 30.
He is considered one of the best pitchers in his time and MLB History and one of the most famous celebrities with rheumatoid arthritis.
- Debbie Allen
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Multi- awarded actress, dancer, choreographer is still very much active in Hollywood despite
having RA.
She launched Living With Arthritis to raise awareness of the disease.
- Kristine Holzer
Olympic speed skater has been diagnosed with juvenile RA when she was 13 years old but did not let the disease hinder her from becoming a part of the 2006 Winter Olympics.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristine_Holzer
- Edith Piaf
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The French singer famous for the song Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien had severe RA in her early 30s.
It was believed that the RA pain caused her to be dependent on morphine and alcohol.
- Chantal Chamberland
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The Canadian jazz singer was diagnosed with RA at the age of 24.
Pain started in her feet, knees, hips, and hands that had threatened to stop her from performing.
Good thing she was able to find the right treatment of Enbrel and methotrexate which provided her the opportunity to still perform and stay active.
- Spencer O’Brien
The Olympic Snowboarder was diagnosed with RA at the age of 25.
Through coordination with her doctors, they we able to find the right treatment plan and she was able to continue her career as a Snowboarder and also participated in the X- Games.
Biography: https://olympic.ca/team-canada/spencer-obrien/
- Danielle Collins
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She ranked number 23 in the world in 2019 when she was diagnosed with RA.
With the correct treatment, she is looking forward to still be playing the sport in the future.
- Barry Gibb
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Most famous for being part of The Bee Gees. He refuses to take painkillers for his RA pain, fearing that it would damage his stomach lining.
He manages to play the guitar by strapping his wrists for support.
Even with RA, he still manages to make music and perform.
- Pierre-Auguste Renoir
The French Impressionist bout with RA was probably the first documented case in history.
He had severe RA that his hands contracted to into claws and he had to sometimes tie his paintbrush to his hand so he can still paint.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre-Auguste_Renoir
- Dorothy Hodgkin
The Nobel Prize-winning British chemist who advanced the X-ray crystallography technique, suffered from RA.
The disease crippled her hands and feet but still continued to advocate for RA and other causes she supported.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Hodgkin
- Clark Middleton
The film and television actor suffered from RA since he was 4 years old.
The disease distorted his hands and unable to move his neck but he continued to work his way as an actor.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark_Middleton
- Cheryl Koehn
She played for the US Women’s National Volleyball Team before being diagnosed with RA.
She is the founder and president of Arthritis Consumer Experts and continues to raise awareness of the disease.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jointhealth/?hl=en
- Meredith Boyd
The former Mrs. Georgia was diagnosed with RA when she was just a teenager.
She used her title to promote awareness and served as a spokesperson for the Arthritis Foundation.
Website: https://www.meredithboyd.com/
- Seamus Mullen
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Award- winning Chef, restauranteur, and The Next Iron Chef finalist was diagnosed with RA a few years ago.
He found that the usual cocktail of medications and treatment did not make him feel any better.
He then changed his regimen that included the usual medication, supplements, yoga, acupuncture, and change in diet.
As you can see from the list of celebrities with rheumatoid arthritis, the autoimmune disease does not choose the people it affects.
Some people on the list were physically active and some were even diagnosed when they were just kids.
Although RA does not have a cure yet, people with RA can take inspiration from these celebrities with rheumatoid arthritis on how they have managed their disease and did not let it stop them from still doing what they love.
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