“The Bachelor” star Joey Graziadei shared Thursday that he has Gilbert syndrome, a liver condition that explains why the sclera — the white outer coating — of his eyes appear yellow.
The 28-year-old reality star, who leads Season 28 of the ABC dating program, explained Thursday on Instagram that he had been getting a lot of comments about his “yellow eyes,” which prompted him to share his long-standing diagnosis.
“I wanted to jump on here really quick and talk about something that I’m seeing a lot of comments about, which is ‘Joey’s yellow eyes,’” he said in a video posted on his Instagram page. “So, to give some context on that, I have to go all the way back to when I was in high school.”
The tennis coach said that the diagnosis came after he was sick for a week and had to be checked on by a doctor. His blood work indicated a potential issue with his liver.
“I got a liver ultrasound. I went to other doctors, and they found out that there was nothing that was necessarily wrong, like hepatitis, but they diagnosed me with something called Gilbert syndrome,” he said, using the French pronunciation “zheel-BAYR.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, Gilbert syndrome is a common, harmless liver condition in which the liver doesn’t properly process bilirubin, a yellow-orange substance produced by the breakdown of red blood cells and passed through bile. The syndrome is an inherited genetic condition that is often discovered by accident and requires no treatment.
“At the end of the day, I am told that I am healthy,” the “Bachelorette” runner-up said. “It’s something that does affect the whites of my eyes. It makes it have those jaundice levels, which is why they look a little bit more yellow. It’s something I want to pay attention to more going into this year. I want to get my health right and make sure that I’m all good.”
Graziadei said he keeps it under control by drinking more fluids, but that it gets worse when he is stressed or lacks sleep, which “happens on a TV show.”
“I do appreciate everyone looking out for me and wondering if I’m OK,” he added. “But to my knowledge, I’m as OK as I can be and I’ll continue to look at it.”