Married At First Sight UK star JJ Slater has been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, MailOnline can reveal.
The E4 contestant, 31, was rushed to hospital days before Christmas after feeling lightheaded and losing 1.5stone in three weeks, causing his body to ‘deteriorate.’
JJ was contacted in the middle of the night by his doctor, who told him to go to hospital immediately after a blood test showed that his sugar levels were dangerously high, and he was at risk of diabetic ketoacidosis, which can be life-threatening.
Panicked and afraid, JJ was informed by the nurse that ‘from this day forward your life will never be the same’ after learning that his diagnosis at 31 means he now has to inject himself with insulin four times a day and regulate his food consumption.
And as there isn’t a cure for type 1 diabetes, JJ says he is still coming to terms with the change and is doing his best to learn about how to manage his condition.
JJ told MailOnline: ‘The first signs were that I always felt thirsty and needed to go the toilet in the middle of the night. I was waking up 4-5 times needing the toilet.
‘Then I started to lose weight quite quickly. I lost about a stone and a half in three weeks, but I was still eating the same and going to the gym every day.
‘I hadn’t changed anything, but my body was deteriorating so I knew something was wrong. I was getting lightheaded often, I was on the sofa watching TV and then stood up and fell to the floor… so, I knew something wasn’t right.
‘I had a blood test and my doctor said I probably wouldn’t hear anything until after Christmas, but I woke up the following morning to three missed calls from 111 and voicemails saying “as soon as you wake up, go to hospital”… I have never woken up so quickly. I panicked thinking it was the worst news.’
JJ explained that type 1 diabetes is when your blood sugar is too high because your body is unable to make a hormone called insulin.
The causes of type 1 diabetes are unknown and there is nothing you can do to prevent yourself from developing the disease, but it can be treated by injecting insulin into your body.
Doctors needed to see JJ right away after his blood sugar levels were alarmingly high at 34 when the healthy level is between 4-7mmol/l.
He said: ‘The average person’s blood sugar is 4-7 and mine was 34, so mine was super high and there are a lot of complications that come with that.
‘Your blood can become acidic, which is called DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis)… they were afraid that my glucose was so high that the process had already started.
‘Luckily, it hasn’t so being diagnosed before that happened was crucial.
‘The nurse doing the tests told me “from this day forward your life will never be the same”… like anyone, I knew nothing about diabetes.
‘I hear people saying their grandad has it, but I didn’t really take much notice of it and know how serious it is. It was a huge shock. It is terrible and a really bad thing, but it is manageable.’
JJ, who found fame on the E4 show Married At First Sight UK this year when he married Bianca Petronzi, says he has a lot to learn about type 1 diabetes, which is often associated with older people.
The major life change for JJ will be injecting himself because he has a phobia of needles as well as managing his diet, which up until now he hasn’t had to pay close attention to.
He said: ‘Type 1 is an autoimmune disease whereas type 2 is brought on by lifestyle and you can help it with diet but type 1 it is what it is.
‘For the rest of my life, I will have this and it’s getting my head around that. I’ve lived my whole life until the age of 31 and now this has happened.
‘I have never had to think about what I eat, when I eat or injecting myself, I have to inject myself four times a day now. It’s a lot of change.
‘It is a huge journey from being diagnosed to understanding the condition. I hate needles, I know I have lots of tattoos, but needles are my fear. Injecting myself with a liquid gives me the ick!’
While JJ’s marriage to Bianca didn’t last, he developed a romantic relationship with transgender bridge Ella Morgan and the couple were welcomed back into the TV experiment.
He says his co-stars including Ella have supported him throughout his diagnosis and advice from Tasha Jay, who is also type 1 diabetic, has been invaluable.
JJ added: ‘Ive been on the phone with Tasha almost every day since this happened. I’m like “is this normal?” “does this happen?” she’s been a huge help. We did the wife swap together so maybe that happened for a reason.
‘I’ve also spoken to Laura, Ella, Thomas, and Luke, who have all been there for me. They have all been really good actually.’
JJ hopes that he can use his platform to raise awareness for type 1 diabetes and work with charities such as Diabetes UK to educate the masses on the disease.
He said: ‘I have said for years that I would like to work with charities, but I’ve never had a purpose. I am newly diagnosed and there’s so much that I have to learn but I would like to help other people and get involved with Diabetes UK, I am trying to look at things in a positive light.’