Imogen Thomas' mother has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease.
Imogen Thomas' mother has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease - ImogenThomas-Instagram
The 41-year-old reality star took to social media to reveal her mum Janette was diagnosed with the incurable condition, which affects the brain and nerves, six months ago.
She wrote on Instagram: "There is no easy way to say this. Six months ago- Our mum was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND). For those who are not aware of MND it's an uncommon condition that affects the brain and nerves. It causes weakness that gets worse over time. It's rapidly progressing, life-threatening condition that affects six people in the UK every single day. The worst part is there's no cure. It's been a journey we never expected and hoped it would never be. (sic)"
The former 'Big Brother' star compared her mother's plight to a current 'Coronation Street' storyline in which Paul Foreman (Peter Ash) has been battling the disease, and she admitted a recent episode had "struck a chord" with her family as she saw their circumstances reflected back to her on the ITV1 soap opera.
She added: "Wednesday's 'Coronation Street' storyline featuring Paul and Billy struck a chord we never expected. It felt like watching our own emotional rollercoaster, the ups and downs of trying to pin down what's going on."
Imogen - who shared the news alongside a Reel of family photos accompanied by the Sia track 'Unstoppable' - admitted she and her family had gone through a series of costly trips to Harley Street only for the condition to be repeatedly misdiagnosed.
The star also admitted she and her sister Alana are still in "disbelief" at the news, and urged her fans to get in touch if they are going through something similar.
She said: "Can you believe we went through three misdiagnoses? Spent a fortune in Harley Street to be told anything but MND. We even sent my mum to rehab in Leeds for a month believing she would make a miraculous recovery as she was told she had FND [Functional Neurologic Disorders] which is a neurological disorder. Looking back now her determination during rehab was incredible.
"My sister and I are heartbroken and still in disbelief. It's hard to wrap our heads around. We just don't want to believe it.
"My mum has some great friends. We would love to connect with others in the same situation to share experiences and support each other. Life is short and precious. We are grabbing it with both hands for as long as we can.
"As I said above my mum and I would love to connect with anyone experiencing the same as us."
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