'DWTS' Judge Carrie Ann Inaba Diagnosed With Lupus Amid Anemia Battle
Sep. 27 2019, Updated 5:24 p.m. ET
Carrie Ann Inaba is changing her lifestyle after years of health problems.
On Thursday’s episode of Live with Kelly and Ryan, the Talk star, 51, revealed she’s been diagnosed with lupus following her anemia diagnosis from years ago.
“I was recently diagnosed with lupus, I was actually told,” Inaba said. “It’s so weird. I was diagnosed with autoimmune 6 years ago, but my doctor didn’t tell me I had lupus. I was having a colonoscopy and I saw my chart read lupus and I was like, ‘This is not my chart,’ and they were like, ‘You have lupus.'”
“So my doctor had forgotten to tell me,” Inaba explained.
While the Dancing With the Stars judge had been experiencing health issues for years, she blamed them on aging, and didn’t know how to better take care of herself until her diagnosis.
“I quit diet coke,” Inaba said, speaking of how she’s changed her lifestyle since her lupus reveal.
She also “stopped going in the sun because when you have lupus you’re allergic to UV light, which I didn’t know, so I was causing my own flare-ups.”
That specific change has been hard for Inaba, who told Ripa and Seacrest “I’m from Hawaii, that’s what we do.”
While living in lupus has been an adjustment for Inaba, it’s not the first time she’s had to fight for her health. Six years ago, the TV personality was diagnosed with Iron Deficiency Anemia.
“Once I was diagnosed, it’s like I got my life back,” Inaba said. “I am so grateful. There’s a blessing in some of these health conditions because it gives you a greater awareness of your own health.”
“It makes you take care of yourself and realize it’s a very important component of a healthy lifestyle is to see the doctor regularly, make sure that you’re keeping up all your checkups and getting the right tests,” she added.