Carrie Ann Inaba Fights Back Tears As She Discusses Struggles With Autoimmune Condition: ‘I’m in a Really Bad Flare’

It’s been tough. Carrie Ann Inaba got very emotional while discussing her battle with the autoimmune disease fibromyalgia.

“I have all these autoimmune conditions, and I’m in a really bad flare,” the 51-year-old explained on the Tuesday, April 30, episode of The Talk, all while fighting back tears. “It sounds so silly, but people who have these like invisible illnesses — whether it’s rheumatoid arthritis, or a gastrointestinal thing … I feel so much shame when I go through these things, because I want to be what people see. And people see a healthy person, from the outside,” she continued.

The TV’s personality’s cohosts, Sheryl Underwood, Sharon Osbourne and Eve and Sara Gilbert, listened on as she added, “I look healthy and I am really healthy — all things considered, but then I have these incredible sharp pains like today [the hairstylist] was doing my hair and he barely touched me but I thought he burnt me with a curling iron because my body is in a fibromyalgia flare.”

However, even with her rough patches, the Dancing with the Stars judge still has a strong reason to share her journey. “I want to encourage people, because even though I feel shame, I know at the same time I shouldn’t feel shame,” she said. “It’s embarrassing … sometimes you just can’t get a handle on it, and it’s sort of about self-acceptance,” she added.

Carrie Ann isn’t alone in her fight though — many people are suffering with the same disease. According to the Center for Disease Control, “fibromyalgia is a condition that causes pain all over the body, sleep problems, fatigue and emotional and mental distress.”

Despite having plenty to deal with currently, Carrie Ann is considering adopting a child. “I would love to be a mom,” she once told People. “I do still consider adopting. I have considered fostering to adopt.” However, she admits she’s nervous about possibly becoming a single parent.

“As a single woman in her 50s, I want to make sure that I will have the energy and that it’s fair to the child,” she told the outlet. “I saw the movie Instant Family and I’m probably going to take one of those [foster parenting] classes. It’s on my list!”

We wish Carrie Ann nothing but the best moving forward!