When opening up that she's been quietly battling the disease, which commonly occurs among elderly people, the 'BH90210' alum says that it's 'a new, interesting development' in her 'maturing.'
- May 7, 2022
AceShowbiz - Jennie Garth has unveiled a surprising medical scare. When opening up about her early-onset osteoarthritis, the former star of "BH90210" said that she won't let anything "limit" her.
The 50-year-old reality star told Insider on Thursday, May 5 that she was diagnosed with the disease at 47 years old after feeling stiffness in her fingers and hands, as well as pain in her knees. Though so, she refused to let the diagnosis stop her from having an active lifestyle. "It was just a new, interesting development in my maturing," she said.
"You don't think of yourself as slowing down or anything stopping you from all the things you do every day," Jennie continued. "When you know what you're dealing with physically, there's always a workaround," she added, "I definitely don't let anything limit me."
When Jennie learned about the diagnosis for the first time, she said that she told herself, "I was like, I'm too young for arthritis." She went on explaining, "When you hear the word arthritis, you associate it with the elderly and people who are immobile, who can't live an active life."
Jennie later said that she has found that activities including golf and hiking with her dogs have helped alleviate the symptoms. The mom of three also shared that she does not take any medication for her condition but often uses a topical over-the-counter ointment to relieve any aches and pains.
Elsewhere during the interview, Jennie unveiled why she waited a few years to go public with her diagnosis. "I didn't want to be that person who talks about their ailments," explained the former "What I Like About You" star.
On Thursday, Jennie took to her Instagram page to share a clip of her playing golf in her backyard. In the note accompanying the video, she wrote, "Probably not supposed to do this," along with a grimacing face, shushing face and face with sunglasses emoji.
Osteoarthritis wasn't the first health scare for the former "Jennie Garth: A Little Bit Country" star. In 2002, she was diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse and a leaky heart valve, but did not reveal that until 2009.
