Miranda Hart says she was left 'bedbound for years' after sitcom ended due to illness

The comedian said she was left in "total collapse" in the years following the end of her acclaimed sitcom

A beloved TV star revealed she was left “bedbound” for years due to a debilitating condition. Miranda Hart, best known for her BBC sitcom Miranda, recently spoke out about her battle with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), more commonly known as chronic fatigue syndrome.

The comedian had been living with undiagnosed Lyme disease since she was a teenager. Following the end of her show in 2015 her symptoms worsened and developed into ME.

In an interview with The Times, she said: "I lost my joy and know that I hadn't enjoyed my career in the way that I knew I could have if I hadn't been ill. I was housebound and bedbound for years. I didn't have a job, I didn't have a social life. I didn't have any responsibilities or identities."

As reported by The Mirror, the 51-year-old admitted she had a "total collapse" in the years following the end of her acclaimed sitcom and later discovered she had contracted Lyme disease during a trip to the US as a teenager.

Over the last decade the actor has largely stayed out of the spotlight, with just an appearance in the feature film Emma in 2020 and a stint on the West End in 2017.

Although Miranda said she is "not fully" recovered at the moment, she is feeling hopeful about the future. She said: "I believe I will get better. I've only recently been out in the world again. If this was a named condition and this is how you manage it then I could handle it."

She added: "I think the hardest thing about these sort of fatigue-based conditions is that lack of understanding, lack of never knowing when there's an end date."

Miranda also recently revealed she got married for the first time, to 60 year old Richard Fairs, a building company manager. She said: "I think I fell in love immediately."

ME symptoms

According to the NHS, ME is a long-term condition that can affect different parts of the body. “The most common symptom is extreme tiredness,” the health body says.

The exact cause of ME is unknown, but it is thought that ME is often triggered by an infection, which can include Lyme disease.

The four main symptoms include:

• Feeling extremely tired all the time (fatigue), which can make daily activities like taking a shower, or going to work or school, difficult
• Sleep problems, including insomnia, sleeping too much, feeling like you have not slept properly and feeling exhausted or stiff when you wake up
• Problems with thinking, concentration and memory (brain fog)
• Symptoms getting worse after physical or mental activity, and possibly taking weeks to get better (also called post-exertional malaise, or PEM).

The NHS adds: “Some people with ME/CFS may also have pain in different parts of the body or flu-like symptoms, such as high temperature, headache and aching joints or muscles.”

There is currently no cure for ME but there are treatments that may help you manage the condition and relieve the symptoms.