“The Bachelor” star Joey Graziadei shared Thursday that he has Gilbert syndrome, a liver condition that explains why the sclera (the white outer layer) of his eyes appears yellow.
The 28-year-old reality star, who hosts the 28th season of the ABC dating show, explained on Instagram Thursday that he had been receiving a lot of comments about his “yellow eyes,” which led him to share his long-standing diagnosis.
“I wanted to jump in here real quick and talk about something I see a lot of comments about, which is 'Joey's yellow eyes,'” she said in a video posted to her Instagram page. “So to give some context on that, I have to go back to when I was in high school.”
The tennis coach said the diagnosis came after he was sick for a week and had to be examined by a doctor. His blood work indicated a possible problem with his liver.
“I had an ultrasound of my liver. I went to see other doctors and they found out that there was nothing necessarily wrong, like hepatitis, but they diagnosed me with something called Gilbert syndrome,” she said, using the French pronunciation “zheel-BAYR.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, Gilbert syndrome is a common, harmless liver condition in which the liver does not properly process bilirubin, a yellow-orange substance produced by the breakdown of red blood cells and transmitted through bile. . The syndrome is an inherited genetic condition that is often discovered by accident and does not require treatment.
“At the end of the day, they tell me I'm healthy,” the “Bachelorette” runner-up said. “It is something that does affect the whites of my eyes. It makes them have those levels of jaundice, which is why they look a little more yellow. It's something I want to pay more attention to this year. “I want to improve my health and make sure I'm all right.”
Graziadei said he keeps it under control by drinking more fluids, but it gets worse when he's stressed or lacks sleep, which “happens on a TV show.”
“I appreciate everyone looking out for me and asking if I'm okay,” she added. “But as far as I know, I'm doing as well as possible and I'll keep looking at it.”
