Toni Braxton was told to hide her lupus diagnosis to salvage her career

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Toni Braxton has opened up about her battle with lupus, revealing that she was initially told to hide her diagnosis if she wanted a successful career in music.

The “Un-Break My Heart” singer, 56, recalled feeling “ashamed” over having the autoimmune disease while simultaneously making a name for herself in the music world.

“I worked hard to hide it for the longest time,” Braxton said. “I was ashamed. Especially being a performer. So I would make light of it.”

Braxton said her management told her to hide it, she explained “people get scared around sick celebrities. Nobody gets insured, and I couldn’t get insured.”

Rheumatologist Dr. Daniel Jeffrey Wallace, who diagnosed Braxton with lupus, was also on the podcast and chimed in, “I was president of the Lupus Foundation of America and our problem was we had all these celebrities with lupus but none of them would come out.”

“You would not get work,” Braxon said. “I didn't get work at first. No one wanted to put me on the stage. ‘Well, suppose she collapses on stage? And insurance? How are we going to do that?’ "

Toni Braxton said she went a whole decade without receiving an official diagnosis for her condition after experiencing various symptoms following the birth of her two sons. “No one could figure it out,” Braxton said, adding that she “felt like a hypochondriac” at the time.
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