Justin Bieber opens up on half-paralysed face: ‘I have Ramsay Hunt Syndrome’
- The Canadian pop star says he can’t blink with one eye or smile on one side
- He said the condition led him to cancel upcoming shows in his Justice World Tour
Canadian pop star Justin Bieber is opening up about a medical condition that has paralysed half of his face.
The Yummy singer, 28, revealed on Instagram on Friday that he has Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a neurological disorder characterised by facial nerve paralysis.
According to the nonprofit American academic medical centre Mayo Clinic, the syndrome is more common in people over the age of 60 and is triggered by the same virus that causes chickenpox and shingles.
“Obviously, as you can probably see from my face, I have this syndrome called Ramsay Hunt syndrome, and it is from this virus that attacks the nerve in my ear and my facial nerves and has caused my face to have paralysis,” Bieber said in the video.
“As you can see, this eye is not blinking,” the singer continued, referencing the left side of his face. “I can’t smile on that side of my face. This nostril will not move. So there’s full paralysis on this side of my face.”
Bieber, who is currently in the midst of his Justice World Tour, added the condition has led him to cancel upcoming performances, which he said he has been physically “not capable” of doing.
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“This is pretty serious, as you can see,” he says. “I wish this wasn’t the case, but obviously my body is telling me I gotta slow down, and I hope you guys understand.”
Bieber said he’ll be using the time off to “rest and relax and get back to 100%”.
“But, in the meantime, this ain’t it,” he said. “I’m doing all these facial exercises to get my face back to normal, and it will go back to normal. It’s just time, and we don’t know how much time it’s gonna be, but it’s gonna be OK. And I have hope, and I trust God, and I trust that … it’s all for a reason.”
Bieber later shared on his Instagram Stories that it’s “been getting progressively harder to eat, which is frustrating”.
“Please pray for me,” he added.
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This isn’t the first time Bieber has opened up about health struggles. In January 2020, the pop star revealed on Instagram he was diagnosed with Lyme disease and had “a serious case of chronic mono”. According to Mayo Clinic, Lyme disease is transmitted through the bite of an infected, blacklegged deer tick.
Symptoms of Lyme disease can include a rash, accompanied by fever, chills, fatigue, body aches, headache, neck stiffness and swollen lymph nodes. If untreated, later symptoms can include joint pain and neurological problems. Treatment involves antibiotics.
“While a lot of people kept saying Justin Bieber looks like (expletive), on meth etc they failed to realise I’ve been recently diagnosed with Lyme disease,” he wrote at the time, adding, “not only that but had a serious case of chronic mono which affected my, skin, brain function, energy, and overall health.”
As for “mono”, the colloquial term for the viral disease mononucleosis, Mayo Clinic says symptoms can include fatigue, a sore throat, fever, swollen lymph nodes in the neck and armpits, swollen tonsils, headache, skin rash and a soft, swollen spleen. Treatment involves rest, healthy eating and drinking plenty of fluids.
