Justin and Hailey Bieber looking serious while walking together at a public event.
To the public eye, Justin and Hailey Bieber project a flawless image. The couple recently welcomed their son, Jack Blues, and Justin is gearing up to perform at Sunday’s World Cup final between Spain and Argentina.
He recently warmed up his vocals with a surprise, shirtless set for sports fans at the Fanatics fest at New York’s Javits Centre. Yet behind the stadium lights and billion-dollar brands, the pop star navigates a labyrinth of debilitating medical conditions.
Years of Undiagnosed Illness
In January 2020, Justin went public with a Lyme disease diagnosis. Before doctors pinpointed the bacterial infection, he endured years of unexplained exhaustion and relentless medical tests.
During his docuseries, Justin Bieber Seasons, he revealed doctors initially misdiagnosed him with bipolar disorder. A second opinion eventually cleared him of the mental health condition.
Untreated Lyme disease can wreak havoc on the nervous system, joints, and heart. It triggers severe symptoms, ranging from facial palsy and nerve pain to heart palpitations.
Justin also suffers from chronic mononucleosis, caused by the Epstein-Barr virus. The viral illness is transmitted through saliva and causes extreme fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, and fever.
Before his diagnosis, media outlets ruthlessly speculated that his gaunt appearance stemmed from substance abuse. Justin fired back in a since-deleted Instagram post, writing: “[I] had a serious case of chronic mono which affected my skin, brain function, energy, and overall health.”
His wife, Hailey, noted in the documentary that the sheer uncertainty was the hardest part of the ordeal. Justin remained resolute, stating, “I’m committed to getting better and committed to doing whatever I have to do, whether it’s inconvenient or not.”
Facial Paralysis and Tour Cancellations
The singer’s health issues escalated again in 2022 when he was diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome. The neurological disorder is caused by the same virus responsible for chickenpox and shingles.
The virus can lie dormant for years before attacking the facial nerves. It resulted in partial facial paralysis and forced Justin to abruptly cancel his world tour.
“As you can see, this eye is not blinking,” Justin explained to fans in a video at the time. “I can’t smile on this side of my face. This nostril will not move. So there’s full paralysis on this side of my face.”
Hailey’s Heart Surgery
Justin isn’t the only one battling severe health issues. In 2022, Hailey suffered a mini-stroke that fundamentally altered her perspective on her own body.
“A couple of years ago, I had a crazy medical situation. I had a mini stroke,” she revealed on Jake Shane’s Therapuss podcast earlier this year.
Doctors subsequently discovered a congenital heart defect that required immediate intervention. “I had to get surgery for it, which sounds really crazy, but they went through my groin, and I was in and out of the hospital the same day,” she explained.
The frightening ordeal left the model hyper-aware of her physical health and deeply invested in medicine as the young couple navigates raising their son.
