Former EastEnders star Melissa Suffield - who was known for her iconic role as Lucy Beale - has opened up about facing a challenging Christmas after being diagnosed with a life-altering condition last year.The actress, who graced the BBC soap from 2004 to 2010, shared that she has had a rough year dealing with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) following bouts of "horrible nausea" last December.
Speaking to The Sun, the 31-year-old revealed that, after around 40 appointments with her GP this year alone and spending more than five figures on tests and other medical costs, she has now sadly been given a diagnosis of SIBO and B12 deficiency.
Melissa went onto share her true feelings about the festive season this year and how she'll be celebrating. She said: "For me, I would say about 80% of the joy comes from all the food.
So I'm not feeling very festive this year." The actress continued and admitted she is 'hopeful' things will be different for her next Christmas: "But that's mainly because I can't eat loads of chocolate, biscuits and cake.