Coronation Street star Georgia May Foote has urged people to be kind, after receiving negative reactions to her health condition.
The actress, who played Katy Armstrong in the ITV soap, has previously opened up about her experience with Vitiligo, a condition caused by a lack of melanin in the skin.
Taking to Instagram, Georgia shared a picture of the patches of vitiligo on her hand, which she explained became more noticeable after tanning on holiday.
‘Everytime I go on holiday and I get a beautiful tan, I see how much my vitiligo has spread more than ever before,’ the 33-year-old penned.
She went on to explain how the condition sometimes leaves her feeling ‘insecure’, but that the support her loved ones show makes her ‘heart feel full’.
Unfortunately, not everyone is as accepting of her condition.
‘I’ve noticed people staring, having a good old nosey with their faces screwed up, and that’s when my heart drops,’ she continued.
‘So this is just a friendly reminder to those people to be kind. I’m sure the way it makes you feel is nothing in comparison to how the person with it feels.’
She concluded: ‘I’m proud to be a voice for people like me with the condition. I battle with how I feel about it every day. Today’s one of those days I remember there is nothing I can do about it. So here we are. Showing it in all its glory ( I do have lipstick on, but my whole colour has now gone in and around my lips)
‘And please. Let’s be kind.’
Georgia has been very open about living with Vitiligo, and took to her Instagram stories in 2022 to explain the condition.
‘Two years ago I noticed 2 little white patches on my skin that appeared to mirror both sides of my body,’ she said.
‘2 years on and a final diagnosis from a dermatologist I now know I have something else. Vitiligo.’
‘As you can see the pigment on my skin has disappeared,’ she pointed out, alongside a video of her wrist. ‘The reason for this happening is still unknown although there are a few factors they think cause it. The saddest part? There is no cure.’
Georgia first appeared on the Cobbles of Coronation Street in 2010 as Katy Armstrong.
Katy soon began a relationship with Chesney Brown (Sam Aston) and the pair had son Joseph.
After her exit from the show in 2015, Katy was killed off-screen in a car accident in 2017.
