Justin Bieber has been diagnosed with Lyme Disease, an illness caused by a bacteria that is transmitted to humans through a tick bite.
The 25-year-old singer slammed trolls who had previously said he ‘looks like sh*t’ and accused him of being ‘on meth’ in a candid post on his Instagram today.
He posted a message about his Lyme disease diagnosis, and added he has also been struggling with ‘mono’, which is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus.
Bieber is set to open up about his secret health battle in his new 10-part documentary series, which will be released on January 27 on YouTube.
He wrote today: ‘While a lot of people kept saying Justin Bieber looks like sh*t, on meth etc. they failed to realize I’ve been recently diagnosed with Lyme disease, not only that but had a serious case of chronic mono which affected my, skin, brain function, energy, and overall health.’
Soon after the performer hid face as he stepped out with wife Hailey Baldwin in Beverly Hills.
Mononucleosis is an infectious illness that’s usually caused by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).
It’s also called mono or ‘the kissing disease.’
Many people are exposed to EBV – part of the herpes virus family – as children but that does not always lead to Mono.
Bieber continued: ‘These things will be explained further in a docu series I’m putting on YouTube shortly.. you can learn all that I’ve been battling and OVERCOMING!!
Justin Bieber on the phone in Beverly Hills today.
‘It’s been a rough couple years but getting the right treatment that will help treat this so far incurable disease and I will be back and better than ever NO CAP.’
The Sorry star allegedly said he had felt severely depressed for much of 2019, but it wasn’t until later in the year that his doctors realized he was suffering from Lyme disease.
It’s unclear exactly when or where Bieber contracted the disease, which also afflicts Bella Hadid, Shania Twain and Avril Lavigne.
The most common symptoms of the disease are fever, headache, fatigue and a skin rash called erythema migrans.
The disease can typically be treated by several weeks of oral antibiotics.
But if left untreated, the infection can spread to the joints, heart and nervous symptoms and be deadly.
In the new documentary Bieber, who held a lavish second wedding to Hailey on September 30, says he went ‘undiagnosed’ for much of 2019.
Several times in 2019 the Where Are U Now singer looked crestfallen when out in New York City and LA with Hailey.
In February, People had reported that the star was getting treatment for depression.
In March he cried out for sympathy with an Instagram post: ‘Just wanted to keep you guys updated a little bit hopefully what I’m going through will resonate with you guys. Been struggling a lot. Just feeling super disconnected and weird.
‘God is faithful and ur prayers really work.’
In September, Bieber also confessed he was embarrassed of his past: ‘I went from a 13-year-old boy from a small town to being praised left and right by the world, with millions saying how much they loved me and how great I was.
‘You hear these things enough as a young boy and you actually start believing it. Everyone did everything for me, so I never even learned the fundamentals of responsibility,’ he explained.
He also said by 19 he was doing ‘pretty heavy drugs’ and ‘abused’ the relationships he was in. ‘I made every bad decision you could have thought of and went from one of the most loved and adored people in the world to the most ridiculed, judged and hated person in the world.’
And in October Bieber was seen crying in public.
Fans thought that he was having a breakdown as he was giving emotional interviews about his past.
But Bieber reportedly makes it clear in his new documentary that he was actually suffering from depression brought on by Lyme disease.