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Angelina Jolie has revealed that the stress of her impending divorce from Brad Pitt caused her to develop Bell’s palsy.
The Maleficent actor, 48, opened up about her health condition in an interview with WSJ Magazine published on 5 December. Speaking about her Bell’s palsy – a neurological disorder which temporarily paralyses one side of the face and causes it to appear droopy and lopsided – Jolie explained how the dissolution of her marriage to Pitt ultimately impacted her health.
“My body reacts very strongly to stress,” she said, as she discussed feeling “terrified” to portray opera singer Maria Callas in an upcoming film. “My blood sugar goes up and down. I suddenly had Bell’s palsy six months before my divorce.”
The Academy Award winner first revealed she was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy in 2017, amid a “difficult year” following her split from the Fight Club star. She previously shared in a Vanity Fair cover story that she developed the facial paralysis condition due to the stress from her family and relationship issues. “Sometimes women who have families put themselves last, until it manifests itself in their own health,” she said at the time. However, she credited acupuncture with helping her make a full recovery.
According to the Mayo Clinic, Bell’s palsy “causes sudden weakness in the muscles on one side of the face” but may be temporary and can significantly improve over time. The disorder is known to be an inflammation of the nerve which controls the facial muscles and could potentially be the result of a prior viral infection. While it’s unclear whether increased stress is a direct cause of Bell’s palsy, experts have suggested that stress can weaken your immune system, which results in damage to your facial nerve.
