- Joe Manganiello spent nearly a decade battling a "deadly mystery illness" that left him in chronic pain and searching for answers.
- Joe Manganiello said only a small circle of family members and friends knew about the health crisis that affected the past decade of his life.
- Joe Manganiello said he chose to suffer in silence while dealing with a condition that doctors struggled to diagnos
Joe Manganiello has opened up about his alarming health battle that he kept hidden from the public for years. The "True Blood" and "One Piece" star spent nearly a decade battling a "deadly mystery illness" that left him in chronic pain and searching for answers.
Manganiello, 49, shared details of his ordeal in a video posted on Instagram, a day after PEOPLE exclusively announced upcoming memoir, Bloodlines. In the video, the actor said only a small circle of family members and friends knew about the health crisis that affected the past decade of his life. The actor said he chose to suffer in silence while dealing with a condition that doctors struggled to diagnose.
“For the better part of the past decade — most people don't know this — but I suffered in silence, battling a deadly mystery illness, and other than a very small circle of family and friends, I hid it from the rest of the world, and until recently hadn't really shared what I'd gone through,” Manganiello said.
According to the actor, he sought help from "the best doctors in the world" over the years but was unable to get a clear explanation for the illness that was affecting his health.
Speaking about the unsuccessful medical treatments, the actor revealed that he underwent "very serious operations and procedures" in an attempt to manage his condition and buy more time. He further added that these treatments "mutilated" parts of his body and, at certain points, left him unable to stand or walk.
Manganiello also described spending months on heavy medication while dealing with "excruciating bouts of chronic pain." Details shared about the memoir previously with PEOPLE indicate that the health crisis began with a series of autoimmune-related conditions that affected his skin, thyroid, eyes, lungs and digestive system.
While the book recounts his health crisis, it also explores the unexpected path he took in his search. Beyond hospitals and medicines, his quest eventually expanded, leading him to investigate his family history and ancestry.
"It documents my 10-year search for answers and expands the globe, and also backwards in time as I expand on my understanding of my family's history and make some absolutely unbelievable discoveries," he added.
According to the book's synopsis, he turned to "shamans, pagan rituals, ancient myths, long-lost family records and the rebirth of his own spirituality" while investigating. After spending three years writing the book, Manganiello said Bloodlines is now complete.
According to the actor, the illness was "the most brutally difficult time" of his life, but it was also his "greatest adventure,” as per PEOPLE. The memoir, Bloodlines, is also set to release on October 13 in print, Kindle and audiobook formats. It is now available for pre-order on "Amazon.com, and wherever else books are sold", the actor wrote in his post.