Sam Faiers says battling Crohn's disease is making her "stronger".
The 23-year-old beauty was diagnosed with the inflammatory bowel disease last week, after experiencing severe pains while in the 'Celebrity Big Brother' house in January, and she reveals she may have been living with the ailment for a year and hopes to raise awareness around the symptoms.
Quizzed how her family and friends have reacted to her illness, she said: "They're really upset and really concerned and I feel like, with them being like that, it makes me want to be stronger and positive about it.
"Being a young girl and living a lifestyle like a lot of young girls do - like going out on the weekends - my doctor said by the looks of it, I've been living with this for a year. So I want to get the awareness out there that a lot of people can be living with it and not actually had a flare-up to go and get the tests you need."
'The Only Way is Essex' star is now on a liquid-only diet for six weeks in order to rest her bowel.
Appearing on ITV's 'This Morning' today (24.02.14), Sam said of her course of treatment: "I'm on tablets at the moment; I'm on two antibiotic and another drug which stops the inflammation. It's very ulcerated at the moment. And I'm on shakes ... I'm not eating anything for the next six weeks, so I'm on shakes that gives my body everything it needs."
Sam began feeling ill while in the 'Celebrity Big Brother' house and first realised the severity of her illness after losing lots of weight.
She recalled: "I was losing more and more weight. Naturally, I'm a curvy girl and I was training, so I had muscle. When I was in the shower I said to myself, 'Oh my god, this weight is falling off me' ... that's when I thought this can't just be a tummy bug.
"There was a couple of days in the house I couldn't even get myself out of bed, my whole body was aching, all my joints were aching."

Jessica Alba struggled to carry refreshments as she chatted on the phone during a family day out in Beverly Hills. The actress was joined by her husband Cash Warren and her two daughters, Haven and Honor.

Lupita Nyong'o stood out from the crowd at the 45th NAACP Image Awards at Pasadena Civic Auditorium in California. The actress teamed her bright orange dress with a statement gold bracelet.

Naomie Harris kept all eyes on her in a low-cut embellished gown at the 45th NAACP Image Awards at Pasadena Civic Auditorium in California.

Heavily pregnant Kerry Washington was glowing at the 45th NAACP Image Awards at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in California. The actress covered up her baby bump in a blue satin gown.

Samantha Barks looked stunning in a silver mini dress and leather jacket she strolled around Milan, Italy with a friend.

New father Simon Cowell enjoyed a sunshine stroll with his pet dogs Squiddly and Diddly in Miami.

Kim Kardashian braced the chilly winter weather as she stepped out in NYC. The reality TV star looked stylish in a white pencil dress and cream overcoat.

Britain's Zara Phillips has already got two ponies lined up for her baby daughter.
The Olympic eventing medallist and her husband Mike Tindall's firstborn Mia Grace might only be one month old, but she is expected to follow in her mother's footsteps by riding her cousins' Shetland ponies as soon as she is old enough.
Asked whether Mia was going to be as outdoorsy as Zara, who started riding aged two, the royal told Britain's HELLO! magazine: "She has her first pair of wellies and her first pair of trainers ... We were outside a lot as children and had ponies. And so Mia will be - definitely.
"I bought a Shetland pony for my niece, Savannah, to ride, and then I was offered a second one so I bought him too as Isla was coming along so quickly. Mia will inherit them once her cousins get too big... But I've told my brother Pete that I've now done my bit. It's his job to buy the next size ponies."
Mia - who is Queen Elizabeth's fourth great grandchild and 16th in line to the throne - was born at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital in South West England last month, weighing a healthy 7lb 12oz.
Zara enthused: "The birth itself was definitely an experience, though perhaps not altogether euphoric while it was happening. Afterwards you are pretty amazed at what you've created. I still keep looking at Mia and thinking, 'Oh! We made that.'
Mike added: "The birth was the best day of my life so far."

Britain's Queen Elizabeth has been giving Duchess Catherine advice about her royal visit to Australia and New Zealand.
The monarch has reportedly taken the 32-year-old duchess "under her wing" in order to prepare her for the historic visit to the Commonwealth countries in April.
A palace source told the Sunday Express newspaper: "The Queen regards Catherine as the perfect partner for William and she thinks they are a great team. She doesn't want to see a repeat of Charles and Diana when they toured Australia and the crowds were only interested in meeting Diana.
"Most importantly, the Queen can pass on her knowledge of the countries, their cultures, histories and the dos and don'ts of what to say and not say."
Aside from sharing her pearls of wisdom, the 87-year-old ruler is said to have given Catherine - who has seven-month-old son Prince George with Prince William - access to her royal jewellery box for the three-week trip.
This comes after the Queen loaned her the Nizam of Hyderabad diamond necklace, which was a wedding gift in 1947, for her appearance at the National Portrait Gallery earlier this month.
Elizabeth is also said to have advised the mother-of-one to have small weights sewn into her dress hems to prevent future "Marilyn Monroe" moments in strong winds.

Britain's Prince Harry regrets not being able to try out for the SAS.
The 29-year-old royal has reportedly told friends he would "have loved to have had a crack at SAS selection", but knew his dream job serving with the Special Air Service forces would never work out due to his status.
According to the Daily Mirror newspaper, Harry told one pal: "Unfortunately for me that was never going to happen - my face is just too well known."
The redhead has been fascinated by the SAS since visiting the regiment as a child with his late mother Princess Diana, and still makes regular trips to their base in Hereford.
Harry stepped down from his role as an Apache helicopter pilot in January after completing his duties with the Britain's Army Air Corps, in order to take up a Staff Officer role in London.
Despite describing the SAS as his "dream job", one senior Army officer told the paper it was unlikely to have worked out for the prince.
He said: "The reality is that if Harry joined the SAS he would never be able to take part in military operations.
"He is too well known. It would be a case that if Harry appeared, whose face has global recognition, you would know the SAS were about. [But] Harry has all the attributes to serve in the SAS."

'Coronation Street's' Peter Barlow is to hit the bottle again after discovering his mistress Tina McIntyre is pregnant with his baby.
The recovering alcoholic - who is played by Chris Gascoyne - will turn to booze after the beautiful barmaid (Michelle Keegan) admits she's carrying his child following their ongoing passionate affair, reports the Daily Star newspaper.
In explosive scenes to be aired next month, Tina blurts out the news during a row.
She tells him: "You can be hard-faced sometimes, unless it's something you want, and then it's all charm and smiles.
"I think I'm pregnant. I haven't done the test yet but I'm late and I recognise the signs."
Peter then walks out on her, admitting: "Sorry, I can't take it in. I have to go."
However, the news couldn't come at a worse time for Peter as his wife Carla (Alison King) will also soon discover she's expecting their first child as well.
The baby dilemma will force the hunk into a meltdown and he'll turn to alcohol in a bid to cope with his lies and infidelity.
Carla will then turn to Peter's ex-wife Leanne Tilsley (Jane Danson) in a bid to seek comfort.
During a heart-to-heart with Leanne, Carla says: "He's drunk. I don't know what to do. It's been going on for two weeks. It's never going to end, is it?"
However, Leanne replies: "You can't blame yourself. It's what he does. It's not going to get any easier. Not today or tomorrow."
Meanwhile, Michelle is set to leave the cobbles in May in a mysterious whodunnit murder plot.