A Place In The Sun presenter Laura Hamilton has opened up about the struggles of living with a rare blood disorder, and shared a photo of her heavily bruised legs
A Place In The Sun presenter Laura Hamilton, age 42, has bravely opened up about her life dealing with a serious autoimmune condition. Known as Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), the disease causes dangerously low levels of platelets, leading to severe bruising.
Laura hasn’t let it dampen her spirits, though, recently taking to social media to share a candid snap of the bruising on her legs, revealing the reality of living with ITP. While working in Greece on the hit Channel 4 show this Monday, she spoke of having ‘flare-ups’ but cleverly covered them with long dresses for filming.
Next to an image showcasing her bruises, she wrote: “This is ITP! Just a little flare-up this week. But you won’t see it under my dress for filming! #itp #autoimmune #itpawareness”.
Laura also shared a video thanking those who’ve supported her, saying, “So that’s ITP, Immune thrombocytopenic purpura. It’s a reaction from a low platelet count that I have in my blood. It’s been a very, very crazy week for me which I’ll tell you more about very soon. I’ve been really really busy and I think it’s just taken its toll.”
In her message, she sympathised with others battling the same condition, especially parents of affected children, offering them support and advice: “Also sorry to hear from those of you that have ITP too, particularly those whose children have it… I am happy to offer any advice that I can! Laura x.”
In October 2022, Laura opened up about her struggle with ITP, revealing that stress triggers flare-ups. Recounting an on-set experience while shooting “It was really mad a year ago I was filming A Place In The Sun with a lovely couple in France – Mark and Janine – and I just stood there and I had an insect bite on my leg and I started scratching it,” reports the Mirror. “I thought, ‘Oh, I shouldn’t have done that because I’m gonna have bruises on my leg from ITP’.
According to the NHS, severe cases of ITP can be fatal, usually among older adults or those with extreme cases of thrombocytopenia.
Fortunately, Laura assured fans that her condition is currently managed, stating: “It’s kind of under control at the moment, I don’t have bruising quite like that on my legs, but it does happen, it does flare up, but I’m always trying to be positive about it. The disease only affects 4000 adults at one time, and is most common among young women.”