Jess Hardiman
Rapper Lady Sovereign has been diagnosed with a rare disorder after symptoms have ‘plagued’ her life for 10 years.
The ‘Love Me or Hate Me’ singer, whose real name is Louise Harman, rose to fame in the mid 2000s with debut album Public Warning, which was followed by 2009’s Jigsaw – the last record she released.
Over the years, Harman has spoken publicly about how an 'illness’ has affected her music career, leaving her unable to create new music.
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However, the 37-year-old has not previously revealed the specifics of the mystery health issue.
In 2015, she tweeted: “I miss performing, I miss studio, I miss being creative... Creativity never stops but this illness is stopping me from doing so much.”
Now Harman – who also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2010 – has finally had some answers about what’s been making her feel unwell for the past decade, having been diagnosed with something known as Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome.
In a post on her Instagram Stories, she said: “So after 10 years of trying to find out what’s wrong with me.
“Finally find I have Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome. Plagues my life. Not very nice an understatement.
“It’s also very rare and not that understood. Clearly as it took bl***y 10 years to figure it out.”
According to the NHS, Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome is a rare disorder that ‘causes repeated episodes of being sick (vomiting) and feeling sick (nausea)’.
“The cause of CVS is not fully understood,” the NHS website says.
“The vomiting episodes are not caused by an infection or another illness.”
It usually starts in children, and can improve as they grow older. However, the condition can also affect adults.
CVS has four phases, the first of which is the ‘prodome phase’.
During this period, the person will: feel an episode of vomiting is about to start; have sweating and nausea for a few minutes to a few hours; and appear unusually pale.
The second is the ‘vomiting phase’, which involves nausea, vomiting and retching. The person may: vomit up to five or six times an hour, for up to 10 days; have tummy pain; be unable to talk or move; and experience other symptoms including diarrhoea, a slightly high temperature, dizziness, headache, sensitivity to light, feeling sleepy, drooling or spitting excess saliva.
Third is the ‘recovery phase’, which sees the vomiting, retching and nausea stop, while other symptoms also improve. It can take anywhere between a few hours to a few days.
Finally, the ‘well phase’ is the period where there are no CVS symptoms.
“The cause of CVS is not yet known, but there may be a link with migraine,” the NHS explains.
“Many people with CVS develop migraines, and migraine medicines may help treat the syndrome.”