Georgia May Foote has revealed she suffers with an "incurable" skin condition.
The 31-year-old is renowned for her performance as Katy Armstrong on Coronation Street. She quit the Cobbles in 2015 and regularly keeps fans up to date with her personal life on Instagram.
The soap star has taken to the social media platform to share details of her vitiligo diagnosis. The NHS describes vitiligo as a "long-term condition where pale white patches develop on the skin." - as Mirror Online reports.
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It adds that it's "caused by the lack of melanin, which is the pigment in skin." Georgia shared an image of her hand on Instagram Story that showed discoloration on her wrist .
She said: "As you can see the pigment on my skin has disappeared. [...] The saddest part? There is no cure." Georgia said that "when it appears on one side [of the body], it appears on the other". This a sign of non-segmental vitiligo, which is the most common type of the condition.
She told fans: "I try my hardest everyday not to let it affect my mind but it does get me down at times to know I will have this for life." The actor however wants to speak out to raise awareness.
She added: " If I can make anyone else feel more comfortable about it I will. It will also help me more than you can imagine". Georgia - who joined the cast of Corrie in 2010 - added in her recent posts: "Social media makes you feel imperfect far too much but this is me and I can't change it."
She did however admit that there are days when it "makes [her] want to cry" and she feels insecure, though she acknowledged that it's not something she can change. Asked in a Q&A with fans whether the condition causes discomfort, she responded: "It doesn't hurt but I do get really itchy on my biggest patch on my hand." The actor expressed hope that anyone who meets someone with vitiligo will "understand" how it can make them feel, encouraging people to "find the beauty" in the condition.
And she followed-up her recent posts about vitiligo by thanking her followers for their "amazing messages," saying she was "shocked" to hear of so many others who have it. Georgia added: "As it is vitiligo month it felt very fitting to be open and honest about my own experience. Sending love to you all."
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