Former Gogglebox star Yvie Jones reveals she ‘was so weak’ battling a mystery illness

Former Gogglebox star Yvie Jones, 47, reveals she ‘was so weak’ battling a mystery illness she ‘couldn’t get up’ and became reliant on caffeine drinks

Former Gogglebox star Yvie Jones has revealed she became dependent on caffeinated energy drinks while batting low iron levels. 

The reality TV star made the surprising confession to the Adelaide Advertiser on Tuesday, while raising awareness around women and iron deficiency. 

‘I was having one energy drink or three coffees,’ she told the publication. ‘They worked initially, not for too long, then not at all.’

‘I was having three coffees’: On Tuesday, former Gogglebox star Yvie Jones, 47, (pictured) revealed she became reliant on caffeine drinks while battling a mystery medical condition

Yvie went on to reveal that it wasn’t long before her iron deficiency turned into fatigue, with her battling to perform simple daily tasks.  

 ‘I couldn’t get up, I was so weak, I couldn’t lift my arms over my head,’ she said.   

‘I’m lazy by nature and I have had chronic fatigue but this was a weakness I’ve never experienced before.’ 

Battle: 'I was having one energy drink or three coffees,' she told the publication. 'They worked initially, not for too long, then not at all'

Battle: ‘I was having one energy drink or three coffees,’ she told the publication. ‘They worked initially, not for too long, then not at all’ 

After going to see a doctor she found out she had low iron levels and was perimenopausal, too. She said she was relived to get the diagnosis. 

Yvie spoke about the condition to Daily Mail Australia on Friday, explaining she got an iron IV infusion and now takes an iron tablet daily. 

‘When I got the blood test back, I was like, “Oh my lord!” They were like, “You need to get onto this straight away,”‘ she recounted.

Get checked: After going to see a doctor she found out she had low iron levels and was perimenopausal, too. She said she was relived to get the diagnosis

Get checked: After going to see a doctor she found out she had low iron levels and was perimenopausal, too. She said she was relived to get the diagnosis

‘I think I would’ve gotten really sick. You just live like a zombie until you don’t anymore. My immune system wouldn’t have survived.’  

Yvie said it was only after an honest conversation with her girlfriends that she finally decided to talk to her GP.

‘It was girlfriends who said to me, “You are not yourself.” And I was like, “Yeah, I didn’t want to say anything, but I’m not. Like, I’m really struggling with staying awake,”‘ she said. 

Diagnosis: 'I'm in my late 40s, and last year I started perimenopause... I was so fatigued. Not like normal tired, like low energy, I was fatigued,' she told Daily Mail Australia on Friday

Diagnosis: ‘I’m in my late 40s, and last year I started perimenopause… I was so fatigued. Not like normal tired, like low energy, I was fatigued,’ she told Daily Mail Australia on Friday

‘You know that feeling of dragging your body around? It was hard to even lift my arm. I’d never really had that exhaustion before.’  

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, women’s health expert Dr Penny Adams said it’s important for women to undergo blood tests to determine if they have an iron deficiency. 

‘The most common warning sign is fatigue. Low iron can also cause dizziness, shortness of breath and an irregular or fast heart beat. Low iron can also cause thinning of your hair and brittle nails,’ she explained.

Feeling better: After finding out what was wrong, Yvie admitted she felt a 'huge relief', because she could finally start treating it knowing there were plenty of options available to her

Feeling better: After finding out what was wrong, Yvie admitted she felt a ‘huge relief’, because she could finally start treating it knowing there were plenty of options available to her

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