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Paralympic champion, Chris Hunt Skelley MBE, joins Coeliac UK in their 2025 campaign to raise awareness about coeliac disease.

May is Coeliac Awareness Month and charity Coeliac UK is running a UK-wide campaign to raise awareness of coeliac disease — an autoimmune condition affecting thousands of people. When someone with coeliac disease ingests gluten, their immune system attacks the small intestine, damaging the gut lining and preventing proper nutrient absorption. Symptoms can be recurrent, persistent or unexplained and may include fatigue, stomach pain, nausea, anaemia and neurological issues.

Jukoda and Paralympic Champion, Chris Hunt Skelley MBE, who lives in Wiltshire, was diagnosed with coeliac disease two years ago.

“It was an incredibly long journey to get to a diagnosis,” said Chris. “I was having terrible problems with my gut, using the loo all the time and experiencing pain. Not knowing what was going on was terrifying. To find out I had coeliac disease was, in a sense, a big relief. It felt less scary than other things I was being tested for and it also meant I had an answer.”

This month Chris is joining Coeliac UK in its campaigning for awareness and understanding of coeliac disease. Chris is among many who manage their condition through a strict gluten free diet. He is sharing his story with Coeliac UK.

“I hadn’t really heard of coeliac disease before I was diagnosed. A strict diet isn’t unfamiliar to me because of my athletic career. When it came to training and competitions, I had to take a lot of my own food with me which presented some practical challenges. My life has now become completely gluten free.

“Managing coeliac disease can be challenging, everything I consume must be gluten free. Free-from products are a lot more expensive than the usual products even though you are often paying more for less! I do have access to gluten free prescriptions which really helps. 

“As anyone with coeliac disease will know, you have to ask questions consistently when you eat out and some people don’t go out at all because of the risks of cross -contamination. However you can’t live under a rock.” 

 “One in 100 people in the UK have coeliac disease, yet only 36 per cent are medically diagnosed, said Derek Roberts, social media officer at Coeliac UK.

“This means an estimated 500,000 people are living with symptoms without knowing they have the condition. Our mission this Awareness Month is to reach the undiagnosed 64 per cent and encourage them to get tested, helping them take the first steps toward recovery,”

The organising is using the theme of 64, and encouraging people to get involved with the Coeliac UK virtual challenge during May to help raise awareness, so no one will have to face coeliac disease alone. Find out more here: https://www.coeliac.org.uk/get-involved/fundraise-for-us/join-the-coeliac-uk-64-challenge/

Coeliac UK is also highlighting a free online self-assessment, which follows NICE guidelines. To take this online assessment, visit here: https://isitcoeliacdisease.org.uk/

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