Kelly Osbourne has disclosed that she was diagnosed with stage III neurological Lyme disease, a condition she details in her upcoming memoir, There’s No F***ing Secret: Letters From a Badass B****, set for release on 25 April. The 32-year-old presenter contracted the tick-borne illness in 2004 while at a reindeer sanctuary in the backyard of her family's home in England.
In an excerpt obtained by Us Weekly, Osbourne explains that after initial misdiagnosis left her feeling like a 'vegetable' on excessive medication, she sought treatment at alternative medicine practitioner Philip Battiade's clinic in Germany, costing $40,000 for a two-week stay. She underwent stem cell therapy to strengthen her immune system rather than relying on antibiotics.
Osbourne admitted she had kept quiet about her condition, partly due to fear of pharmaceutical companies and because she believes Lyme disease has become a 'trendy' illness. She expressed frustration with celebrities who she feels exploit the disease for attention, stating, 'I know who really has it and who is just trying to prolong their 15 minutes.'
The daughter of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne also reflected on her past struggles with addiction, having entered rehab four times for prescription drug dependency starting at age 19. She described being prescribed medications like Klonopin and Vicodin as a child, and her subsequent abuse of various substances, including a negative experience with methamphetamine.
