Celiac Disease and the gluten-free diet have become trendy topics lately and there are a growing number of celebrities who have been diagnosed with Celiac Disease. It seems only logical to compile a list of these celebrities and add to it as more are vocal about their diagnosis. Celebrities who are gluten intolerant (Drew Brees, Terence Stamp, Juliette Lewis) or who follow the gluten-free diet for other reasons (Jenny McCarthy) or as a way to loose weight (Jennifer Aniston, Gwyneth Paltrow) are not included in the list.
More than a decade ago it was hard to imaging that Celiac/gluten-free diet would become a mainsteam topic and definitely not one that would make an entertainment show like Access Hollywood (Chelsea Clinton's gluten-free wedding cake). Apparently Bill Clinton has mentioned that he is on a gluten-free diet on Rachel Ray and during Hillary's run for President.
It seems to me that there are more celebrities out there with Celiac Disease, so we hope they will come forward and let it be known. The publicity the disease receives translates into more people getting diagnosed who have been suffering unnecessarily. On average it takes 7-11 years to get a proper diagnosis of Celiac Disease, so we need all of the publicity we can get to raise public awareness, educate the medical community and ultimately decrease the average diagnosis time.
This list was compiled from multiple sources:
- Amy Yoder Begley (Competed in Beijing Olympics as a runner)
- Cedric Benson (NFL)
- Sarah Joy Brown (Actress on The Bold and the Beautiful)
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Meg Cabot (Author)
- Heidi Collins (former CNN anchor)
- Zooey Deschanel (Actress)
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Scott Michael Foster (Actor, currently on Greek)
- Jennifer Esposito
- Susie Essman (Actress on Curb Your Enthusiasm)
- Rich Gannon’s (NFL Quarterback) daughter, Danielle
- Thom Hartmann (Air America Radio)
- Elizabeth Hasselback (“The View”)
- Katherine, Duchess of Kent
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Dean McDermott (Actor)
- Dannii Minogue (Younger sister to Kylie Minogue the singer)
- Keith Olbermann (Countdown with Keith Olbermann)
- Mickey Redmon (former pro hockey player)
- Emmy Rossum (Actress)
- Joe Stanton (Cartoonist who draws Batman, Green Lantern, Archie & Scooby-Do)
- Jane Swift (former Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor)
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Hayley Turner (English Flat Racing Jockey)
- Sarah Vowell
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Carrie Willoughby (Paralympic Swimmer)
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Deborah Ann Woll (Actress, currently on True Blood)
Who is missing from this list? Leave a comment and the list will be updated periodically.
Comments
Joey C (toured with Kid Rock)
Hi KT...I didn't include Joe C on the list because he is deceased. Thanks.
he is deceased because of the celiac disease
What a great article Jennifer! Thanks for covering this topic - it's very interesting!
What a great article Jennifer! Thanks for covering this topic - it's very interesting!
Ryan Phillipe
Deborah Ann Woll - plays Jessica on True Blood.
Thanks Joni G for the information on Woll. Her Celiac Disease is noted on her Wikipedia entry, so the list has been updated.
Great article. I always wonder why people think going on a GF diet will help you loose weight. If you eat a prpoer GF diet then its much the same, if you choose not to replace the heavily laden gluten product like bread, pasta then you are just going on a low gluten diet closer to a low carb diet, and that simply annoys me to call it a GF diet. Its giving people the wrong impression of gluten free.
Not sure if she counts as a celebrity, but author Meg Cabot (The Princess Diaries) has celiac. Also, actor Scott Michael Foster (Greek) has celiac.
I haven't been able to confirm Celiac in either of these people. Please let me know where you read it, so I can follow up.
And Hayley Turner successful girl flat race jockey is a coeliac
Very interesting that there is a gf vampire! (Deborah Ann Woll )
:-)
I thought so too Michael...how goes it!
Dean McDermott (Tori Spelling's husband) is also a celiac. She has talked about it on her twitter page.
I believe that two of the CNN anchors are. The beautiful red head who left a few months ago from the 9 AM slot is for sure - she did a special about it on CNN...of course now I can't remember her name... ah, Heidi Collins
Here are a few more lists: http://celiac-disease.com/celebrities-with-celiac-disease/
http://www.jensglutenfreeblog.com/hot-topics/celebrities-with-celiac-dis...
and here is a canadian list: http://www.penny.ca/Celiacs.htm
Just curious if anyone knows how Joey C died...
Joseph Calleja (Joe C, Kid Rock’s sidekick):
Unfortunately Joseph Calleja, the 3 foot 9 inch sidekick to Kid Rock, was not as lucky. Joe C, as he was known, died in 2000 at the age of 26 from complications as a result of celiac disease which he suffered from since childhood.
Drew Brees, Saints quarterback
I wonder if the shorter Bryan brother of Men's Doubles Tennis is celiac. I remember reading that he was at least gluten free.
Laura Bell Bundy has celiac disease.
Thanks for this, but I was unable to confirm she has celiac disease. She does follow a gluten-free diet because she is sensitive/intolerant, but she does not say she has celiac.
Thanks.
Billy Bob Thornton is gluten and dairy-intolerant.
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