Claire Foy Reveals Health Reason For Cutting Off Caffeine

Claire Foy had to say a total goodbye to caffeine consumption after an experience she does not hope to relive. 

“The Crown” actress shared her health challenge, which prompted changes in her diet and lifestyle, ultimately leading to total abstinence from foods containing caffeine. Foy has been dealing with a trail of health issues right from her teenage years, an experience which left her convinced of a rather short life span. 

Claire Foy did not only struggle with physical health issues but also faced the brunt of mental health challenges as a young adult. All of which she remains open to sharing, including her career experiences as she climbed up the ladder to success.

Foy took a trip abroad and came back with an atypical souvenir, which left her sick for years. She detailed her gross experience with the parasites she had ingested and the aftereffects that followed.

Foy was oblivious to the fact at first, only noticing that she kept losing weight, always feeling hungry even while maintaining her regular appetite. This raised the suspicion that she had an infection, and when asked if she had it confirmed through a blood or stool test, she responded, “Yeah, the gross stuff.”

The actress dug into the details during an appearance on the “Table Manners With Jessie and Lennie Ware” podcast on Tuesday, February 3. She told the hosts that she believes she got the parasites in Morocco and had been living with them for at least five years. 

“They travel as a pair. I got told by the doctor, gross, absolutely rank. It’s disgusting,” she added before explaining how she had to do a total sweep of her eating habits as a result. 

According to the Cleveland Clinic, parasites are organisms that live in, on, or with another organism (host). They feed, grow, or multiply in a way that harms their host.

They cause parasitic infections, which usually manifest with symptoms such as nausea, fever, abdominal pain, and unexplained weight loss, among others.

Still in her chat with Jessie and Lennie, she mentioned that she had to go on a diet while recovering and has stuck with the changes. In the actress’s words:

“That’s why I gave up caffeine. I basically had to go on this diet, and because I didn’t want to take really hardcore antibiotics and stuff like that, I took all this little gross stuff, and part of that was giving up caffeine.”

The Netflix star noted that generally she would consume about fifteen cups of tea and two cups of coffee per day, so totally giving up caffeine was quite an adjustment for her.

Foy, speaking further, shared that she also suffers from an autoimmune condition, which she didn’t particularly disclose, but noted that it also affects her diet as she must avoid foods that may trigger inflammation. Sugar and gluten are off her checklist as well, except for when she has a special dinner, such as during Christmas.

Foy previously disclosed that she was convinced her life would end as she clocks forty owing to the myriad of health challenges she faced growing up. 

The Netflix star spent her childhood in mid-Counties Buckinghamshire with her family before moving to Liverpool for university. During her childhood, she was not a stranger to hospitals and medical procedures. 

The Daily Mail details that she suffered a benign tumour behind one eye and juvenile arthritis that left her unable to walk without the aid of crutches when she was just barely a teenager.

This, among other challenging health issues, made her create the belief that her life would end before it even began. She previously stated that, unlike many who avoid the topic of mortality,  she has thought of death her whole life.

“I just presumed that it was going to happen, especially through my childhood… my thing was that I was never going to make it past 40? ever. I have had many medical things in my life,” the Brit actress divulged.

Speaking to The Guardian three years ago, Foy, who made her stage debut at the age of 23, opened up about the difficult phase she went through in her 20s. She revealed that she struggled with anxiety, and her mental health was spiraling down after she moved to London to build her career.

Although the 41-Year-Old was cast in big acting projects early in her career, she struggled with self-confidence and the swell of negativity. This ultimately led to a mental breakdown as the actress felt her successes did not align with the way she viewed herself. 

Her sister had to intervene and insist she seek professional help, and so she turned to therapy. Foy admitted that therapy was a massive help in reconstructing her mindset and building her feeling of self-worth once again. 

After filming the first two seasons of the Netflix hit show, Foy and some of her other costars did not return for the third season due to the time jump for the series. Her character as Queen Elizabeth II was recast to be played by Olivia Colman.

For season four, it was confirmed that Foy was set to return to the series to reprise her role, most likely as a flashback character. When the news of her recasting was announced,  fans were thrilled, expressing how much they longed to see her again on the series.

The Blast shared that some fans initially hoped that the actress would not have been recast during the third season, but that production would turn to makeup and digital altering to depict the aged version of the queen. They had fallen in love with her performance, citing that she played the role perfectly.