Jade Goody
After being diagnosed with cervical cancer last year whilst appearing in the Indian version of Big Brother, the 27-year-old mother-of-two has been a pillar of strength for her two young sons. Doctors have now scrapped their previous estimate of a 40 per cent chance of survival - and are treating Jade to prolong her life as long as possible.
Patrick Swayze
The actor, famed for his role in the 1987 hit movie Dirty Dancing, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2008 leading to radical chemotherapy and treatment. There were claims that the disease had already spread to the 55-year-old's other vital organs but despite fears for the star's life since March last year, our favourite leading man seems to be fighting the illness.
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Gordon Ramsay
The celebrity chef claims he has a stomach ulcer caused by trying to help desperate restaurant owners revive their flagging fortunes. The foul-mouthed TV cook insists his efforts to turn struggling restaurants around as part of his show, Kitchen Nightmares, have left him ill.
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Anastacia
The American singer was diagnosed with Crohn's disease at age 13 and with breast cancer at age 29 but has resolved to let neither disease defeat her. Instead of being embarrassed by, or hiding her disease, Anastacia speaks openly about the profound influence her illnesses have had on her music, career and motivation.
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Billie Piper
Billie Piper has suffered with agonising cystitis for more than 10 years. She has said, "I've had to cancel loads of work with cystitis. I've had to cancel loads of my life with cystitis."
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Amy Winehouse
Amy's seemingly getting her groove (and her appetite back) of late, looking healthier and happy than she has done in years. Only last June however, her father told newspapers that Amy had been struck down by the deadly lung condition emphysema from smoking crack cocaine. Let's hope she can stay on the straight and narrow from now on.
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Delta Goodrem
In 2003, the Neighbours actress and singer announced that she had Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a form of cancer. In the weeks and months after the announcement, sales of her album rose by 40 per cent, resulting in crushing accusations that Goodrem's management team were using her illness to attract favourable media coverage.
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LeAnn Rimes
LeAnn Rimes was diagnosed with eczema at the age of two. She has said, "There's no cure for eczema, and I battle it day in and day out... At one point in my life, I was going back and forth to the doctor every week trying to find a treatment that worked for me."
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Kathleen Turner
The Hollywood actress and legend recently admitted that she pretended to be an alcoholic in order to hide the fact she had rheumatoid arthritis. Turner, 51, feared that she would be unable to get work if the truth about her condition was known saying: "They always hire drunks, all the time. But they wouldn't hire someone with a disease they didn't understand."
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Kathy Burke
The comedy actress 43, caught a deadly superbug, Clostridium difficile, in a London hospital last year. "I got quite ill with loads of stuff," she explains. "It all happened at once, really. I had three near-death experiences [but] I didn't see any white light or nuns or anything. I had that C.difficile hospital bug that everyone is going on about. I just got on with it though."
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