'I can't say what my face will do in two hours'

When Amy Green archetypal saw Tulisa Contostavlos connected I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, she said it was “like looking astatine a reflector image” of herself.

Though the 2 women look different, they person some suffered from Bell’s palsy, a information affecting astir 100,000 radical successful the UK.

Amy rapidly recognised however Bell’s palsy had affected Tulisa's face, saying "there's measurement that lacks successful her face, which is precise akin to mine".

Amy, 42, said she welcomed the star's appearances connected prime-time TV arsenic it would assistance rise awareness.

“You can't get a bigger level than I'm a Celebrity to speech astir things, truthful it's fantastic she's successful there," she said.

Tulisa, 36, archetypal spoke astir having Bell's palsy connected Olivia Atwood’s So Wrong It's Right podcast, during which she said her archetypal onslaught had happened erstwhile she was 24.

She explained she was fixed steroid injections and near with swelling earlier her look dropped and remained drooped for 7 months, during which clip she said she hid successful her house. She added she had since undergone a bid of surgeries to equilibrium her face.

However, appearing connected the existent bid of I'm a Celebrity, Tulisa has received disapproval astir her quality from immoderate viewers, prompting broadcaster Rylan Clark to impulse people connected X not to "make jokes astir her".

For Amy, from Leeds, the information deed 7 years agone aft a stressful play astatine work.

“I was exceptionally busy. I was doing 60-plus hours a week and I had a 2nd job. Something had to springiness - and it was me," she explained.

She said she archetypal noticed thing was incorrect portion astatine the hairdresser 1 day.

"I retrieve looking astatine myself successful the reflector and reasoning I didn't consciousness similar I was there. I'd felt a small unwell successful the run-up to it. I'd had similar headaches and pain.

"I’d gone to furniture connected the Sunday nighttime reasoning I conscionable needed immoderate rest. Then I woke up with a truly droopy look and my eyes benignant of wide open.

"It got progressively worse passim the day, truthful my look dropped a batch more. My code started to beryllium slurred."

Amy said her doc soon diagnosed her with Bell's palsy.

It took her much than 18 months to recover, and she said that adjacent 7 years aboriginal determination were inactive areas of her look she cannot move.

“I deliberation I was 1 of the unlucky ones. It doesn't ever instrumentality arsenic agelong to retrieve for galore people," she said.

“Sometimes I could spell to furniture and it looked 1 way, and past I'd aftermath up and it looked a wholly antithetic mode the adjacent day.”

According to the NHS, Bell's palsy is simply a information causing impermanent weakness oregon paralysis of the muscles successful 1 broadside of the face, with symptoms varying from idiosyncratic to person.

The weakness connected 1 broadside of the look tin beryllium described arsenic either a partial palsy, a mild musculus weakness, oregon a implicit palsy, which is nary question astatine all.

It tin besides impact the eyelid and mouth, making it hard to adjacent and unfastened them.

Amy said that portion she understands wherefore Tulisa chose to acquisition respective bouts of country to woody with the effects of Bell's palsy, she had decided against them.

“I was offered Botox, but I decided not to instrumentality it due to the fact that I don't deliberation it's the close thing.

"You're trying to lucifer your different broadside each the clip and I can't archer you what this broadside of my look is going to bash successful 2 hours, fto unsocial successful 2 days.

“So, I chose carnal therapy to effort and loosen up this broadside of my look and effort to promote it to travel backmost with stretches.”

Amy said the acquisition of having Bell's palsy had changed her beingness successful galore ways: she cannot portion unless it is done a straw; she has to beryllium much cautious astir getting rest; and she said eating accelerated nutrient tin beryllium a challenge.

"One clip I was trying to spell to McDonald's with nieces and nephews," she said.

"I tried to devour thing determination and I had to bring my ain cutlery truthful I could benignant of chopped it up and, like, devour a burger.

"But nutrient was ne'er going to halt me. I'm acold excessively overmuch of a foodie."

Amy said she was fortunate to person a large enactment network, but colleagues and strangers person not ever been truthful benignant and, similar Tulisa, she has besides experienced antagonistic feedback aft going connected TV.

"I appeared connected TV during the predetermination a mates of years ago. Every azygous clip I spell connected TV, you tin warrant idiosyncratic says thing astir my face," she said.

"And I conscionable deliberation sometimes it's rather cruel, isn't it, that radical deliberation they tin person that conversation?"

However, Amy said she thinks having Bell's palsy had made her a stronger person.

"I deliberation it's made maine much empathetic. It's opened up my eyes, pun intended, to recognize disabilities for different people."

Amy said erstwhile "everything benignant of fell apart", she had decisions to marque - and she concluded: "I tin assistance and I marque that a spot amended for others."

"You know, I'll wallow for a portion and past propulsion my large miss socks up and get connected with it," she explained.

"So, yeah, it's been tough, but it surely could person been worse."

Meanwhile, Amy said she tin lone praise Tulisa for going connected I'm a Celebrity and raising consciousness astir a information which affects truthful galore people.

"It's benignant of truly bully to person that," she said.

"I deliberation it's conscionable bully they springiness a level to things similar that. I privation her each the best."

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire connected BBC Sounds, drawback up with the latest episode of Look North oregon archer america a communicative you deliberation we should beryllium covering here.