Love Island’s Gabby Allen says diagnosis ‘could have left me immobile’

Love Island’s Gabby Allen says diagnosis ‘could have left me immobile’ Gabby Allen has revealed she wishes more people knew about the condition Most people know Gabby Allen as a confident TV star, dance enthusiast and fitness entrepreneur. Yet when she was just 12, her ability to walk lay in the hands of a surgeon as she was rushed under the knife for spinal surgery months after being diagnosed with scoliosis. Scoliosis is when the spine curves to the side. And in Gabby’s case, by the time her mum noticed something was wrong, her curve was so extreme it had formed a second curve beneath it in the opposite direction. Now the ITV star has told the Mirror she wishes more people knew “it is one of those life-changing disabilities”. Sharing her story for Scoliosis Awareness Month, she said: “It was very severe and if I hadn't have had it done anything, I would have been essentially immobile. Some people can just live with minimal scoliosis but people like me have to have the operation otherwise we would have ended up really kind of disabled from it. That's what needs to be spoken about a bit more. “My goal to show that you can still be best version of yourself, wonky back and all! Even with the scoliosis I did SAS, and the amount of messages that I have from people, people's parents mostly, saying ‘Watching you do what you've done has given me so much confidence in my children and what they're going to be able to do’.” Gabby underwent a near full spinal fusion when she was 12. This solidifies the spine into essentially one long bone and can have serious complications like paralysis or mobility issues. She recalled: “I was dancer, so the main thing I was just thinking is ‘oh my God, am I gonna be able to dance again?’ Luckily my surgeon was able to allow my three bottom vertebrae with some flexibility.” While Gabby credits her fitness for keeping her body strong through the surgery, recovery was no walk in the park. She recalled: “The first time they they sat me up, I literally felt like a plank of wood. I felt like I was going to snap in half. Then learning how to walk (was) the worst thing ever and finding my balance again. But compared to how I would have been if I hadn't have had the operation, it's obviously all worth it. “I also remember going home in the ambulance and being laid out until every bump that I went over [was] like ‘ah, this is hell’.” Within a few months, Gabby was not just back on the dance floor but was also raising awareness at her dance studio. It ended with a couple of other girls getting diagnosed before their curves were bad enough to require surgery. Twelve years on from her life-changing surgery, Gabby says the only things she can’t do is horse-riding and trampolining. And there’s only one side-effect from the condition that she notices. She said: “With my strength work, I always have to work on imbalances. Deadlift a little bit heavier on the left side. “My ribs and my hips are further apart so I have to literally lift my pelvis up on my left side. When I don't train, I feel it. A discomfort and imbalance. “When I take photos, like, you can see my ribs are so wonky, my abs are so wonky. My muscles around my lumbar spine are wonky. My right side is so much more prominent than my left. It's really annoying because I'm trying hard to balance it. I’m stronger on my right side, it’s annoying.” The 34-year-old first showed her scar to the world when she appeared on Love Island for the first time in 2017, hoping to give some confidence to younger people who may be struggling with their own differences. But she wasn’t always so confident about her back. “When I was younger, I was actually quite self-conscious of it and I didn't like to show it publicly," she said. “When I came into my younger adulthood and built confidence in other ways, I started to meet people that would ask me about about my scar. Seeing that the response I was getting was just general interest rather than somebody being like ‘uh what's that?’, that gave me confidence to showcase my scar with pride.” While her back become a topic of conversation on Love Island, Gabby assures it’s never been an issue when it comes to romance. She shared: “When I started dating, I was confident in all the conversations that I'd have about my back with anybody, boy or girl. If anything, people are just interested in and wanted to know more. “Having confidence in yourself and knowing that it's your story, that's what makes you different. Your superpower, I suppose.”