Stylist to the Stars Suffers in Silence

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Imagine not only attending the Academy Awards but getting to sit 10 rows from the stage, among some of the world’s biggest stars.

Stylist and beauty expert Christine Schwab found herself in that enviable position. But then, right in the middle of the show, she got up and left. She was in so much pain, she couldn’t even stay.

And it was a pain she’d kept secret for years.

Christine suffers from arthritis, and as a style and beauty expert who has appeared on every show from Oprah to Regis to the network morning shows and contributed articles to Vanity Fair, Newsweek, and Ladies Home Journal, looking good and youthful was her business.

Christine feared if she revealed her condition, people would perceive her as old and crippled, especially in an industry that worships the young. So, for nearly a decade, she suffered in silence.

But now she’s breaking the silence and hoping other celebrities follow her lead. In her new book, “Take Me Home From the Oscars: Arthritis, Television, Fashion and Me,” Christine reveals her health struggles and offers advice to the 50 million other Americans suffering from arthritis.

She wants people to stop hiding the disease. That’s the only way, Christine says, to increase funding and research to help millions and millions of Americans. A generation ago, people whispered the word “cancer.” Christine wants arthritis suffers to take a lead from cancer survivors and start making their voices heard.

The woman who has styled some of the world’s top stars has a simple mission — to make arthritis glamorous. She’s even taking her fight to Congress.

Find out how she fought hard for the right treatments, which has out her condition in remission for 11 years. She offers tips for battling doctors who tell you there’s not much they can do for you and how to find the right doctors.

Plus, Christine explains how Hollywood has reacted to her big revelation. 

Click here to visit Christine’s website and see clips of her on The Today Show and learn more about the book.

And to listen to our previous interview with Christine, click on the Related Media tab above.