British actor Jameela Jamil has revealed that she has a rare genetic condition called the Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), which causes hypermobility and stretchy skin. Ms Jamil posted a video on social media in which she showed the elasticity of her cheeks. According to UK's National Health Service (NHS), EDS is a group of rare inherited conditions that affect connective tissues supporting the skin, bones, blood vessels, and many other organs and tissues. While some of the symptoms are mild, others can be disabling.
"Jesus Christ, that is not an app, that is not a filter, that is just my face. Look how elastic that is," the 'She-Hulk: Attorney at Law' actor is heard saying in the video, pulling her skin away from her mouth.
"It pertains to my joints," the 36-year-old further said, hyperextending her arm. "As you can see, nothing bends the right way, everything bends the right and the wrong way."
In the accompanying Instagram post, the actor said, "I don't talk about this more often. The internet made fun of me over my health problems and it made me suicidal for a while."
She slammed the trolls, saying that they don't have "hundredth of our strength" and can't survive what we survive, "so they choose to gaslight us about it all instead".
The purpose of posting the video, Ms Jamil said, is to raise awareness on the subject and save some "motherf****** lives".
The NHS said that there are 13 types of EDS, most of which are rare. "Hypermobile EDS (hEDS) is the most common type. Other types of EDS include classical EDS, vascular EDS and kyphoscoliotic EDS," it said on the website.
Depending on the type of EDS, the faulty gene may have been inherited from one parent or both parents.
