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Samia Longchambon has revealed that she has been secretly living with the painful condition of Raynaud’s disease for the last 20 years.
The actress, 43, has played the role of Maria Connor in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street since 2000, and has been battling with the problem for most of that time.
Raynaud’s phenomenon is where your blood stops flowing properly to your fingers and toes.
Raynaud’s affects your blood circulation. When you’re cold, anxious or stressed, your fingers and toes may change colour.
After getting lots of questions about it, Samia told her followers on Sunday about living with the condition: ‘Seems many of you have the same thing and lots are asking for tips on how to deal with it..
‘I’ve had it about 20 years now and it’s not dangerous, it’s called #raynauds disease.. when I get too cold a couple of my fingers go numb and I lose feeling in them.
Samia Longchambon has revealed that she has been secretly living with the painful condition of Raynaud’s disease for the last 20 years
The actress, 43, has played the role of Maria Connor in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street since 2000, and has been battling with the problem for most of that time
‘It doesn’t last long but can be a bit painful when the blood returns. For me, it’s usually just my fingers so it’s quite mild, but I know that it can affect toes too in some people.’
She added: ‘My tips so far have been to keep as warm as possible (obviously!). Wear gloves when it’s cold out. Hand warmers are my best friend in winter.
‘Eat/ drink anything with ginger as that’s good for circulation. And keep moving my fingers to get the blood flowing again!’
‘Even going down the freezer aisle in a supermarket can set mine off.’
Some people also find that their ears, nose, lips or nipples are affected.
The symptoms of Raynaud’s may last from a few minutes to a few hours.
Raynaud’s is sometimes caused by another health condition, taking certain medicines, or working with vibrating tools for a long time.
Samia is married to husband Sylvain.
Samia and Sylvain exchanged vows in a fairytale wedding in August 2016 in front of close family and friends at a sprawling country manor, with Samia’s daughter Freya as a bridesmaid and their son Yves as a groomsman – three years after their first meeting on the set of now-defunct Dancing On Ice.
But the first months of their romance were overshadowed by Sylvain’s acrimonious split with Hollyoaks star Jennifer Metcalfe, 41, whom he also met on the ITV show.
Raynaud’s phenomenon is where your blood stops flowing properly to your fingers and toes
Samia is married to husband Sylvain. Samia and Sylvain exchanged vows in a fairytale wedding in August 2016 in front of close family and friends
The Frenchman controversially ended their two-year relationship during a tense phone conversation on Christmas Day 2012 after admitting he’d fallen for Samia, leaving the actress devastated.
Samia previously dated co-star Will Thorp – but ended their two-year relationship in December 2012, shortly after signing up for the show.
The pair started dating in January 2011 – just a few weeks after Samia left her husband Matthew after six years of marriage and one month after Will – who played builder Chris Gray in the soap – left his wife Samantha, the mother of his two children.
However, both Samia and Will insisted they didn’t start dating until their marriages were over.
