Former England cricketer Michael Vaughan revealed his struggle with a stress-induced inflammatory illness that he has been battling for the past nine months. The 49-year-old took to social media to provide an update on his health, revealing that the illness significantly impacted his life, particularly around Boxing Day when he was unable to pick up a microphone.
In a post on ‘X’, Vaughan wrote, “Today I have spoken about the stress-related illness I have been fighting for 9 months. I don’t want sympathy as I was lucky enough to see a specialist early to give me the best medication. If this helps one person, it has been worth it.”
Vaughan further elaborated on his condition in an in-depth interview with the Telegraph, expressing his initial reluctance to discuss his illness publicly. “I’ll be honest with you, I was never going to speak about it,” Vaughan admitted. “But then I thought, ‘Wait a minute, there are probably quite a few people who go through similar and stay silent’. I don’t want this to appear as if I’m after any sympathy, because I’m not. I just hope I can help one or two people.”
The former England top-order batter described the severe physical limitations he experienced due to the illness. “There were loads of times when I wouldn’t go out, because I was embarrassed. Even climbing in and out of a car was awful. I would try to walk over the road to Starbucks, and I’d be hobbling. Somebody would ask if I was OK. ‘Fine,’ I’d reply. ‘Just a dodgy knee’.”
Vaughan emphasised the importance of mental health and urged people to seek medical attention if they notice symptoms of an inflammatory disorder. “People always talk about mental illness being the hardest to detect because it’s not a visible injury; it is just something that happens inside your mind. It’s similar to this illness. Over time, it just builds up.”
“In the end, we’re men, aren’t we? If we can do something tomorrow, we’ll do it tomorrow. But I’ve had this warning in my life, where my state got so bad, so quickly, that I had to go and see someone. Don’t ever think you can’t get treated for something or you can’t get through it. And if you do have the signs of some inflammatory disorder, go to your doctor as soon as possible,” Vaughan urged.