A FORMER EastEnders star has said that her mystery illness made her lose three stone and a spend more than £20,000 on searching for answers.

Melissa, 32, who shot to fame as Lucy Beale in EastEnders, was diagnosed with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) after experiencing “horrible nausea” in 2023.

Two years on from when her symptoms first started, Melissa took to social media to get candid about her health battle.

“December 16 marked two years since her SIBO journey started after her young son got sick with “whatever the infection was that gave me SIBO,” she explained.

Melissa explained how she had then began to show symptoms the day after, and has been “unwell ever since”.

Opening up further about her health battle, Melissa revealed the extent of her unintentional weight loss and how much money the illness has cost her.

Reflecting on if she had done anything different in the days leading up to her son’s illness and then her symptoms beginning, Melissa said: “How different my life would look right now.

“I wouldn’t have lost over three stone against my will.

“I wouldn’t have spent over £20,000 searching for answers and the magic remedy that would make me feel better.

“I wouldn’t have been more lonely, more anxious than I’ve ever been before.

“I wouldn’t be worried about travelling more than a mile from home.

“The very core of who I am as a person wouldn’t have been altered,” she explained.

Melissa then flipped her perspective and looked at the things it has allowed her to do.

Reframing it, she said that because of SIBO she has been able to learn about the digestive system, medicine and nutrion.

“I wouldn’t have been able to help literally hundreds of you who tell me you got your SIBO diagnosis solely from learning about it through my content,” she added.

Melissa also spoke about raising awareness for many people and leaning how strong she can be.

“So ultimately, as much as I wish this hadn’t happened to me, you bet your ass I’m going to use it as a force for good,” she concluded.

Last Christmas, Melissa spoke exclusively to The Sun about how she has struggled with the festive season since her illness.

“So last year I cooked a Christmas dinner and didn’t eat any of it,” Melissa told us.

She added: “So this year I’ve decided I’m not doing that.

“We have Christmas, just the 3 of us at home. I can eat chicken, potatoes and carrots. They’re all safe food for me, so I could kind of do a roast.

“But River [Melissa’s son] doesn’t really eat a roast dinner, anyway.

“And Robert [Melissa’s partner] would be just as happy with like a burger.

“So I think what I’m gonna do is just not do that Christmas in general,” she confessed.

Melissa then opened up about what Christmas means to her, adding: “For me, I would say about 80% of the joy comes from all the food.

“So I’m not feeling very festive this year,” she added, noting: “But that’s mainly because I can’t eat loads of chocolate, biscuits and cake.

“So you know it is what it is. But I’m hopeful that next year I’ll be eating that Christmas dinner again.”