A PLACE in the Sun presenter Laura Hamilton recently opened up about her rare health condition on a BBC game show.
On Saturday’s episode of Pointless Celebrities, the mother of two played alongside one of her co-stars for a chance to win money for a charity of her choice.
The beloved BBC quiz show hosted by Alexander Armstrong sees contenders guess for answers that no one surveyed managed to come up with.
Laura, who has starred as a presenter on A Place in the Sun for over ten years – competed with fellow co-star and close friend Jasmine Harman.
After working together on the Channel 4 show for a while, the presenters formed a special friendship.
Georgia Steel, David Potts, Topsy Ojo, Maggie Alphonsi, Kai Samra, and Dane Baptiste joined the duo on the episode.
During their round, Laura and Jasmine managed to make it all the way to the end as they attempted to win £2,750 to give away to charity.
Before the pair answered their final question, the BBC host asked them what charity they were playing for and why.
Answering first, Jasmine said: “I’m playing for the Retreat Animal Rescue, which is an animal sanctuary in Kent.
“It’s run by a guy called Billy and he is so passionate about rescuing farmed animals. So that’s my Charity.”
Replying to the question, Laura responded: “And I’m playing for the ITP Support Association. ITP is immune thrombocytopenia.
The Channel 4 star then admitted: “It’s something that I suffer from. It’s an autoimmune disease – a low platelet count in your blood. So I’m supporting them.”
Back in 2022, Laura opened up about fighting the same disease that killed her co-star’s sister.
“I have something called ITP, Immune thrombocytopenia, which is low platelet count in my blood, its quite an unknown disease,” she told the Daily Star at the time.
“It sort of flares up and down depending on what’s going on with my life, and stress often brings it out.”
ITP causes the body’s immune system to mistakenly attack and destroy platelets.
Symptoms of the health condition can include easy bruising, petechiae (small red or purple spots on the skin), nosebleeds, and bleeding gums.
In more serious cases, internal bleeding can also happen.
On Pointless Celebrities, Alexander was rooting for the pair to win, adding: “Two great charities there. Let’s hope your answers win the jackpot for your charities.”
However, Laura and Jasmine were left disappointed as they missed out on the jackpot prize.
Fortunately, the pair didn’t leave empty-handed, as the show’s host disclosed that everyone who took part would receive £250 to donate to their chosen charity.
Previously, Laura refused to hide her bruises from ITP while filming for A Place in the Sun.
At the time, she posted a montage of clips on her Instagram account and said: “What a great few days filming something new in the sun.
“My legs are covered in bruises, but with ITP, that is often the case, and I’ll never let it stop me from doing the things I love!”
Pointless Celebrities is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
