Dancing With the Stars, but she’s no slouch on TikTok either , having become a 1.4 million follower social media sensation. However, that doesn’t mean her life has been smooth sailing…
In 2021, shortly before she made her Dancing With the Stars debut, the Utah native found herself with quite the surprise, being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes after facing some serious health struggles.
What were those health struggles exactly? The DWTS pro opened up about her earliest symptoms while speaking with Joe Vulpis on a recent episode of the Lightweights podcast.
“What were the signs you first realized when you had type 1 diabetes?” Joe asked Rylee to kick off the conversation, and the 19-year-old swiftly replied that she was eating, drinking, and urinating frequently. She continued:
“I had a lot of mood swings. I kind of felt like out of body, and then anytime I danced, I was just like ‘I’m not giving enough.’ Like, for some reason, my body just couldn’t do it. If you’re someone who likes to work out or run, you kind of understand where it’s just like you want to do something, but your body’s just not giving the energy you need it to, and you’re just like, ‘What’s happening?'”
Concluding the conversation, Rylee said that the feeling was reminiscent of being sick. “Your body just feels fuzzy, and just not good enough to do what it needs to do,” she shared, causing her to get tested and ultimately be diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
On May 13, Rylee opened up about her diagnosis for the first time via social media. “It’s been three years since I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Although it was one of the hardest times in my life and one of the biggest learning curves for me, I’m incredibly grateful for the strength it has given me,” she said before delving into the nitty gritty details:
“I when I was first diagnosed, I didn’t want my diagnosis to stop me from living my dreams and working hard for the things I wanted. The fact that I have had the most amazing year, fulfilling my biggest dreams, makes me so grateful and happy! All of the blood sugar scares, counting carbs, hauling supplies, and crazy management is so worth it!”
She added that diabetes has taught her so much about herself, as well as allowed her to be an advocate for those with similar struggles. “I hope I can be an inspiration to so many of you and I just want you guys to know that nothing can ever stop you from achieving your dreams. You might have some bumps and challenges along the way but they only make you so much stronger,” she concluded, and fortunately, the Dancing With the Stars cast and crew have ed her the whole entire way.
Despite her health struggles, Rylee has achieved a great deal of success, finishing in fourth place on Dancing With the Stars season 33 earlier this year. To see what the future has in store for the DWTS pro — both on the show and beyond — you can connect with Rylee via social media for all the updates.
With a brand new boyfriend, USC football star Walker Lyons, she is seemingly as happy as can be!
Published: Dec 31, 2024 07:47 am