Michelle Visage opens up about biopsy health scare hours before Strictly debut

Michelle Visage has revealed her relief at being given the all-clear from Hasimoto’s disease just 48 hours before starting her time on Strictly Come Dancing.

The RuPaul’s Drag Race star, who was missing from the glitzy launch bash at the end of August, was over in the US seeing a doctor over a biopsy but thankfully was given a clean bill of health after fearing the worst.

Speaking to Metro.co.uk in more depth about her health scare, the star said: ‘In a nutshell, so we don’t waste too much time talking about my health, I’ve had [Hashimoto’s] disease for 20 years.

‘I didn’t know that I was supposed to follow it up, and then it grew in the past two years when I was going through a whole thing with breast implant illness…’

‘[The doctor] said, “I want you to get it before you go”,’ she continued. ‘I said “Can’t I just get it in January?”

‘So I went and got it, and obviously when you get a biopsy you think about it 24 hours a day, and I woke up this morning and it came in benign so I was like “no I can do this”.’

Hashimoto’s disease is an autoimmune disease that effects the thyroid gland.  In those that have it, the immune system makes antibodies that attack the thyroid gland and damages it, often leading to hypothyroidism.

‘Now I’m up and dancing, I came off the plane last night and here I am today,’ she beamed. ‘No rest for the wicked, I got off the plane last night and went down to the rehearsals so I could learn this number that they learned in a week in a half, I got an hour, they got a week and a half.

‘So don’t look at me too much in the opening number!’

Less than 48 hours after being given the all-clear, Michelle made her Strictly debut with the rest of this year’s cast – and discovered which pro will be waltzing her across the dancefloor for the series.

The results of which will be aired tonight at the official launch of this year’s competition, with viewers getting their first look at how the celebs fare as dancers.

Given the amount of sass she’s used to on Drag Race as a judge, we can’t wait to see how she fares as the star being critiqued.

However, the launch show will now be bittersweet, as it will be the only appearance of Jamie Laing, who had to quit the competition on Thursday after getting injured in rehearsals.

Strictly Come Dancing starts tonight at 7.10pm on BBC One

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