Darren Fletcher has revealed that he lost almost three stone in weight when he suffered from the debilitating bowel condition that threatened to end his career.
The Manchester United vice-captain was first diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 2008, but it affected him most in a two-and-a-half year spell from 2011 to 2013, when he was hardly able to play any first-team football.
Fletcher eventually had surgery to remove his large intestine, but before then he had lost almost a quarter of his weight.
"I dropped as low as 9 stone 10-and-a-half pounds," the midfielder told the Daily Mail. "Incredible really, because I look slim at the best of times."
Fletcher said that, because he needed to use the toilet up to 30 times a day, he could not go to a restaurant or watch his twin sons play football.
He added: "Then there were the pounding headaches, and the constant need for the bathroom.
"Other drugs I took I suffered some strong reactions to. One morning, when I was supposed to be going training, I woke up in bed unable to move a single muscle.
"I was on a drug trial for a week and they said it might happen. But it was obviously alarming, even if it was dealt with pretty much instantly with an injection."
#INSERT type:image caption:Fletcher thanked former boss Sir Alex Ferguson for his support. END#
Fletcher thanked former manager Sir Alex Ferguson for his backing, saying: "I owe him everything in my career, but he rose to a different level for me in the way he supported me through this.
"He was also a really caring, kind individual who did everything to help me and protect me when I was ill, for me and my family."
The 30-year-old and Ferguson had publicly played down his problems, but he decided to talk to some of his teammates in December 2011.
"I didn't tell everyone," he said. "Just a group of lads I'm particularly close to. We were sitting having a meal after the game -- Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand were there -- and I knew they'd pass it on to the rest of the lads.
"I just said I was going to have to take a break because of this illness, and they were so sympathetic and understanding. Just brilliant."