Former TOWIE star Billie Shepherd has been grappling with a 'horrendous' diagnosis that has left her confined to bed.

Billie, who is set to return to TV screens with sister Samantha Faiers in their new ITV reality show, Sam And Billie: Sister Act, revealed she is gradually recovering from a battle with Lyme disease, a bacterial infection typically caused by the bite of an infected tick.

Symptoms include severe fatigue and joint pain which can persist for years.

"It's been a really, really tough time," Billie told The Mirror . "I've been lucky in that I've never been challenged with health issues, I've never had to face that. And people are dealing with things 10 times worse, but it has been awful."

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