Ellen DeGeneres has revealed that she has been diagnosed with osteoporosis, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and ADHD.
In her final Netflix special, “For Your Consideration,” which premiered Tuesday, the 66-year-old comedian spoke candidly about aging and talked about her recent triple diagnosis.
DeGeneres recalled that her doctor took a “ridiculous bone density test” and discovered she had “complete osteoporosis.”
“I don’t even know how I’m standing right now. I’m like a human sandcastle. If I take a shower, it might collapse,” she told the audience.
Ellen DeGeneres has revealed that she has been diagnosed with osteoporosis, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and ADHD. (Alberto Rodriguez/E! Entertainment/NBC Universal/NBCU Photobank via Getty Images)
Osteoporosis is a bone disease that occurs when bone density and mass decrease or when bone structure and strength changes. This disease can lead to decreased bone strength and increase the risk of fractures. “Yes,” the U.S. government said. Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.
Ellen DeGeneres leaves Hollywood after appearing in NETFLIX special: ‘This is the last time you’ll ever see me’
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 20% of women over the age of 50 have osteoporosis.
DeGeneres went on to admit, “It’s hard to be honest about aging and look cool.”
“One day I was in excruciating pain and thought I might have torn a ligament or something, so I went for an MRI and they said, ‘No, it’s just arthritis.’ I said, ‘How? Did you get it?’ And he said, ‘Oh, that’s just what happens at your age,’” the former “Ellen” actress said.
DeGeneres talked about aging in her new Netflix special. (Netflix)
DeGeneres also revealed that her therapist diagnosed her with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In “Finding Dory,” she told the audience that she entered therapy because she was “trying to deal with all the hate that was coming towards me.”
“I’m like a human sandcastle. I might collapse in the shower.”
— Ellen DeGeneres
In July 2020, DeGeneres’ long-running daytime talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, was rocked by damaging workplace accusations by her ex and allegations of sexually inappropriate behavior by an ousted producer. did. DeGeneres apologized to her staff in a statement, and again on-air during the premiere of the show’s 18th season in September 2020.
In 2021, DeGeneres announced that her show would end after season 19. The final episode will be broadcast in May 2022.
In the Netflix special, DeGeneres said, “I might have OCD. My therapist told me that, and I said, “Yes, I’m very organized.” I thought that was O. Because of that,” he said.
“I didn’t know what OCD was,” she continued. “I grew up in a Christian Science religion that didn’t accept disease or disability. So when I was growing up, no one talked about anything. Nothing was discussed.”
“I might just fall apart in the shower,” DeGeneres told the audience. (Netflix)
“Looking back now, I can see that my father definitely had OCD,” DeGeneres said of her late father, Elliott.
she continued. “He checked the doorknobs 15 times before we left, he checked the faucets 15 times, he unplugged all the appliances before leaving the house. Lightning could strike and cause a fire. They said it could be hereditary. ”
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, OCD is “a long-term disorder in which a person experiences uncontrollable, recurrent thoughts (obsessions), repetitive behaviors (compulsions), or both.”
Click here to sign up for our entertainment newsletter
The comedian said that after a therapy session, he asked his wife Portia de Rossi if DeGeneres might have OCD.
“And she said, ‘Yes, that’s right,'” DeGeneres recalled. “I could barely hear those words. It’s funny. I’ve never thought of myself as obsessive. I’m cautious myself and everyone else is careless and out of control.” That’s what I think.
DeGeneres announced that she would be stepping away from public life after the release of her Netflix special. (Getty Images)
Additionally, DeGeneres shared that she suffers from Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), now referred to as ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, ADHD is “a developmental disorder characterized by persistent symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that interfere with functioning and development.”
“My ADD makes it really hard for me to sit down and concentrate on anything,” DeGeneres said.
“I mean, do you know how hard I worked to put this together?” she added of her special.
Like what you’re reading? Click here for more entertainment news
“Of course not,” DeGeneres continued. “Why do I ask that question? Why do I ask that question? Why do people ask questions of people they know don’t have answers?”
“I have a hard time concentrating,” DeGeneres admitted as the audience laughed.
“So I have ADD, OCD, and I’m losing my memory,” she said. “But I think I’ve adapted well because I get attached to things, but I don’t have the focus to stick to them and I quickly forget what I was attached to in the first place.”
“I think that’s what guided me all the way to being able to adapt so well.”
DeGeneres joked that she is “very adaptable” because she has osteoporosis, ADHD and OCD. (Robin Beck/AFP via Getty Images)
At the end of the special, which she said would be her last before retiring, DeGeneres thanked viewers.
DeGeneres admitted that she used to “care too much about what other people thought of me.”
“But one of the nice things about getting older is that as time goes on, you start to put things into perspective,” she says. “It doesn’t fully compensate for arthritis and brittle bones. But if you think about it, it’s healthy to care a certain amount about what other people think, but if it affects your mental health. It turns out that’s not the case.”
“So after all this time I’ve been taking care of them, I can’t do that anymore. So I won’t,” she said, and the audience cheered.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
DeGeneres continued, “But to be honest, people can choose whether they want to remember me as a mean person or as a loving person.”
“My love,” she added. “I choose it.”
Ashley Hume is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to ashley.hume@fox.com and on Twitter: @ashleyhume
