“Grey's Anatomy” star Camilla Luddington has spoken out about the shock of her tinnitus diagnosis.
Luddington joined the cast in 2012 and plays Dr. Josephine “Jo” Wilson on the ABC series. She co-hosts the podcast Call It What It Is with her friend and former Grey's Anatomy star Jessica Capshaw. Capshaw became a regular on the medical drama as pediatric surgeon Arizona Robbins, but left the show in March 2018 after 11 seasons on the hit show.
During the podcast recording, the two women talked about their lives and shared interesting stories about the entertainment industry. In Monday's episode, Radin Tong openly spoke about her own medical diagnosis in an episode called “Tell Me My Ears Are Ringing.”
Newsweek sent an email to Ludington's spokesperson on Tuesday seeking comment.
“I'm going to tell you something that I've never really talked about before, certainly not in detail,” Luddington said, explaining that she has since discovered that millions of other people have been diagnosed with the disease.
Camilla Luddington attends the 2024 French Open in Paris, France on June 7, 2024. She opened up about her tinnitus diagnosis in an episode of her podcast. Camilla Luddington attends the 2024 French Open in Paris, France on June 7, 2024. She opened up about her tinnitus diagnosis in an episode of her podcast. Stephane Cardinale/Corbis via Getty Images
“When I first found out I had this disease I felt so alone that I decided to talk about it,” she continued.
“About two or three years ago, I was watching Ghostbusters and there was a long stretch of silence. I turned to Matt and said, 'Is the TV buzzing?' I was really confused and he said, 'No.' So I said, 'Do you hear any ringing in your ears?' and he said, 'No.' So, basically, I realised I had something called tinnitus, which I still have today – a constant noise that you hear.
“Actually, I only have symptoms in one ear. Sometimes I have symptoms in one ear, but only in my right ear. Well, I still have symptoms and I can hear all the time, but after a few days I realized, 'I can still hear all the time. Maybe this isn't something that's going to go away,' and I was really confused.”
Tinnitus is a ringing or buzzing sound heard in one or both ears. The cause of tinnitus is not always clear, but it is often associated with other conditions such as hearing loss, Meniere's disease, anxiety, and depression.
“To be honest, it was a total shock to me. It was very loud and I heard it so many times that it made parenting really hard. I felt very self-conscious and it drove me a little crazy. I ended up having a hearing test and found out I had a bit of hearing loss too,” the actor explained.
“Apparently, my hearing is like that of someone over 60. I was very shocked by that news. I was told that tinnitus is a type of hearing loss. I don't need hearing aids at the moment, but I'll definitely need them when I'm in my 40s. By the way, guys, I plan on getting a lot of use out of them.”
Luddington said she was required to undergo an MRI scan because tinnitus can be caused by a tumour, but there was none.
She then had to learn that it wasn't something that would go away and that she would have to live with it, but it “took a while” to realise that, she said.
“It was never a topic that came up in our friendship. It only came up when we started making the podcast and this multi-layered side of us started coming out,” Capshaw said.
“One of the producers on the show has had the same experience, so it was really interesting to hear both of your stories. I didn't know that was going on in both of your lives.”
This is not the first time the women have spoken about their health and personal lives on the podcast, with Capshaw previously opening up about the “deep grief” she felt after miscarrying.
“I was so excited to be pregnant. I had no problems before I got pregnant. I feel so lucky and so grateful. And then all of a sudden, I go in for my 10-week appointment for an ultrasound, alone, totally unsuspecting, there's no heartbeat,” Capshaw said, describing the situation as “horrible.”
The actress went on to say that this is “the most shocking and deeply saddening thing that has happened.”
