Coronation Street Blog: Interview: Bhavna Limbachia on her battle with hypothyroidism

Bhavna Limbachia, who plays Coronation Street's Rana Nazir, has spoken this week about suffering with hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism, also known as having an underactive thyroid gland, is a condition in which your thyroid gland doesn't produce enough hormones and can leave you feeling tired, depressed and gain weight more easily.

Bhavna told the Mirrir: "Around five years ago I noticed I was waking up feeling exhausted every day, as if I'd just run a marathon, despite having had eight or nine hours of sleep a night. I'm an active person and my life as an actress is pretty busy."

"At the time I was filming Citizen Khan so initially I thought I was just run down from that.'

However, as time went on Bhavna started to notice more symptoms that can come with hypothyroidism, such as aching muscles, sore joints, dry skin and hair and sensitivity to the cold.

'I tried to rest a bit more, but then my joints started aching and if I watched television for an hour or two my knees would lock. Initially I thought it was an age thing! But when I explained my symptoms to my doctor - that my hair was getting a bit brittle and that I was sensitive to the cold - I was sent for blood tests.'

'They said there was no cure and I would need medication for ever. That did scare me. I thought it was going to change my life, so being told this felt quite overwhelming.'

The Corrie star is now trying to raise awareness about hypothyroidism,

'Now I've got it myself I'd really like to raise awareness, because it's important for people to know that it isn't the end of the world.'

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