Made in Chelsea star admits disease will kill her - but she's putting up one last fight

Made in Chelsea star admits disease will kill her - but she's putting up one last fight EXCLUSIVE: Jane Felstead opens up about her life with MS, from her glamorous Made in Chelsea days to losing her life savings on treatments and relying on carers There was a time when Jane Felstead's life looked like something out of a glossy society magazine. She was the glamorous, larger-than-life mother at the heart of the Felstead family, surrounded by country houses, horses and what seemed like a very comfortable lifestyle. Then came her TV fame on Made in Chelsea, where Jane quickly became known as "Mummy Felstead" and one of the show's most memorable parent figures - an outspoken favourite who could hold her own among the champagne-fuelled dramas of the younger cast. As the mother of original cast member Alexandra 'Binky' Felstead, she was never just a background character. Jane brought her own brand of outrageous humour, warmth and straight-talking advice to the E4 reality show up until her departure in 2021. But away from the cameras, Jane was fighting a battle that would eventually change almost every part of her life. Today, at 74, she lives with multiple sclerosis, a debilitating neurological disease that has left her in a wheelchair, unable to move independently. She relies on carers, needs help with basic tasks like going to the toilet or cutting up food, and has lost all the freedoms she once had. Jane, who inherited a large chunk of money from her parents when she was 50 as an only child, once enjoyed a life of considerable comfort. But now after spending most of her money trying to find treatments for the disease, she can't afford to buy a home. "I'm very lucky. I managed to rent a nice flat in London, I can't afford to buy because of how expensive the treatment is that hasn't worked," she admits. It is a startling transformation for a woman who once appeared to have everything. Jane says she spent her money chasing anything that offered even the smallest glimmer of hope. At one point, she even travelled to Brazil to see a healer. "I tried so many methods, so many different treatments, anything. I grabbed at every little straw." But nothing was helping to stop the cruel illness that was steadily taking control of her body. "I know first hand, even though we have to put a brave light on these things, it's a killer," she says. Jane believes she has been suffering from the disease since she was just 17-years-old after experiencing her first episode. Otherwise known as a relapse, flare-up or attack, an episode is a sudden appearance of new or worse neurological symptoms. Back then, doctors sent her home with a box of tranquilisers. "I was a teenager, and life was busy, there wasn't much known about anything," she says. Over the years, she experienced fatigue, numbness, weakness and problems with her vision. But doctors repeatedly failed to identify MS or even offer her an MRI. Jane temporarily lost her sight after giving birth to Binky in 1990. She was told she had optic neuritis, an inflammation of the optic nerve, and should rest. But there was a newborn baby, two older children, two dogs and three horses to look after. "I managed though, as I have done throughout my life," she explains. It would take decades before she was finally diagnosed. By then, she had already spent years adapting around symptoms she didn't understand. Jane was repeatedly told conflicting things by doctors - that she was doing too much, not working hard enough or that she just needed to 'concentrate on herself'. "I'd been to see them all, I'd done the rounds for so long," she says. Her aunt had died with MS, but Jane says even her family initially attributed her symptoms to something else. "They used to think I was skiving. 'Mummy fancies a bit of attention', they would joke." Eventually, after years of unexplained symptoms, she sought private medical help again. She was diagnosed in her 60s after an MRI revealed numerous lesions on her brain. For Jane, the diagnosis was devastating but also a relief after decades of unexplained symptoms. By then, she had already lived a life packed with experiences. She had ridden horses, skied, gone to parties and travelled. She had raised her children and, eventually, found herself unexpectedly thrust into the world of reality television through Binky. Binky went on to build a career as a television personality and influencer, while Jane became known to viewers as "Mummy Felstead". But behind the scenes, Jane's health was continuing to deteriorate. Binky has spoken openly about watching her mother's mobility disappear. She has described the devastating reality of seeing Jane lose the ability to do basic things for herself - including cutting her own food and going to the toilet without help. Jane, though, insists she doesn't want her children to become consumed by caring for her. She has carers who come in four times a day, with two people needed to help her because she is unable to transfer herself from her chair. Hammersmith and Fulham Council funds her care, something she says she is "terribly grateful" for. "I am well looked after," she says. But being cared for is not the same as having independence. "I can't go onto the loo, which is the most awful thing in my life," she says. "That's the worst part of it all. It's the most degrading thing in the world. You lose your dignity completely, and you're at the mercy of the most wonderful people in the world but you don't want them doing these things for you." For Jane, her grandchildren are one of the biggest reasons to keep fighting. Yet MS has robbed her of the ability to do many of the things she once imagined she would do as a grandmother. That was never more apparent than after a recent horror fall that left her needing hospital treatment. In a video shared online, Jane was shown strapped to a hospital bed, with bruising and injuries to her face. She reassured her family that she had survived the ordeal, telling the camera: "I'd like to say to my family. Here I am. I've pulled through again... I'll fight another day." Despite the seriousness of what had happened, she remained characteristically irreverent, joking about wanting a glass of champagne - much to the horror of the ambulance crew. Jane explained that the incident followed what she described as a "bit of a run-in with my upstairs neighbour which was very unpleasant". "As I fell, I don't know, all these women arrived, and I knew them all," she said, adding that she had been "blue lighted" to hospital because medical staff were so concerned about her. The fall was another reminder of just how physically vulnerable Jane has become. "I'm not depressed, I'm fed up sometimes," she says. But she has been given fresh hope as NHS England has revealed that fampridine - a new drug that helps people with MS to walk - is now set to become available for eligible people. The drug can improve walking ability for some people with MS, and Jane says she would "take it like a shot". For years, access to treatment has been tied up with money. "Why should it only be available for privileged ones who can afford it?" she asks. She has already spent much of her inheritance chasing treatments that failed to deliver what she hoped for. Now, she wants the chance to try something that could potentially give her even a little mobility back. "I'd like to believe I can take this drug and it'll make a difference," she says. "I would jump at the chance to give it a go." Jane says she can still feel her toes so has hope she is able to regain some of her mobility again. "No one notices it, but I can feel it," she says. "I can feel my toes, so there is something there." Peter Lloyd, Policy Manager at the MS Society, says: "For too long, people have been forced to make the difficult choice between paying for fampridine privately, or not taking it at all. Fampridine is the only licensed MS treatment that helps improve walking ability and speed, and for some people it can be life-changing - allowing them to live more independently or stay in employment. So this is incredible news for the 120,000 people living with MS in England. "We've been campaigning for fampridine's approval for years and, while this is undoubtedly a big step forward, NHS England's recommendation doesn't mean instant access for people with MS. With MS services already so stretched, it’s vital they now get the support they need to establish the required services and monitoring and make fampridine available to everyone who could benefit."