Justin Bieber suffers from facial paralysis after being diagnosed with a rare condition.
“I wanted to update you on what’s going on. Obviously as you can probably tell from my face I a have this syndrome called Ramsay Hunt syndrome and it’s from this virus that attacks the nerve in my ear and my facial nerves and has caused my face to be paralyzed the pop star, 28, said in an Instagram video posted Friday.
According to the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, Ramsay Hunt syndrome is characterized by a painful rash around the ear, on the face, or on the mouth. It manifests when the varicella-zoster virus infects a nerve in the head, sometimes causing paralysis.
“As you can see, this eye doesn’t blink. I can’t smile on this side of my face. This nostril can’t move, so this side of my face is completely paralyzed,” Bieber continued, gesturing to the right side of his face.
“So for those frustrated with my cancellations of the following shows, I’m clearly physically unable to do them. This is pretty serious as you can see. I wish this wasn’t the case, but obviously my body is telling me to slow down.”
The “Peaches” singer announced on Wednesday that he would be postponing some shows of his ongoing Justice World Tour due to a then-unknown health issue.
With some time off from the tour, which is slated to run through March 2023, Bieber told fans on Friday that he plans to “just rest and relax” so he can “get back to 100 percent.”
“I’m going to get better and I’m going to do all these facial exercises to get my face back to normal and it’s going to go back to normal,” he said. “It’s just time and we don’t know how much time it will be, but it’s going to be okay. I have hope and I trust in God and I trust that all this is for a reason.”
A friend of Bieber tells Vidak For Congress exclusively that his loved ones also expect a successful recovery. “Bieber will be fine,” the insider says. “It’s because of an infection, paralysis on the right side. He will recover.”
In the meantime, the artist’s famous friends have flooded his comment section with supportive messages.
“I love you and am proud of you,” wrote Bieber’s longtime manager Scooter Braun, while Kehlani added, “love you dude, please take all the time you need!!”
Jhené Aiko left a series of prayer hands emoji, while Patrick Schwarzenegger commented with multiple red hearts.
“Love you brother! You will be great! Rest in peace brother. We love you!” Bieber’s “I’m the One” collaborator DJ Khaled was thrilled. “GOD LOVES YOU! WE LOVE GOD! Everlasting love!”