Legally blind two-time Big Brother winner Reggie Bird gives a heartbreaking update on her health and reveals she recently overcame ‘horrible depression’: ‘It’s a battle’

Former Big Brother star and two-time winner Reggie Bird has given fans a heartbreaking update on her health. 

The reality star, who has taken home a cool $500,000 thanks to her two stints on the show, is legally blind after being diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a rare degenerative eye disease that causes severe vision impairment.

She also has Usher syndrome, a rare genetic disease that affects both hearing and vision.

Speaking to News.com.au this week, Reggie said that every day is a ‘battle’.

‘It’s a battle. It’s a definitely a challenge living with retinitis pigmentosa. Every day is a challenge,’ she said. 

‘So I’ve just gotta try and make the most of every day, while I can see, because I’ve just got nine degrees of pinhole vision left, and I don’t have any peripheral vision or night vision.’  

Reggie said she recently battled ‘horrible depression’ because of her health woes and due to her son Lucas, 13, suffering from has cystic fibrosis, a life-threatening genetic disorder that affects the lungs and digestive system. 

She added: ‘But I pulled myself out of it. Hopefully I’ll never go back down that path ever again. I just think, ”OK, there’s always someone worse off in the world than me.” I just have to try and stay positive. I just can’t let it get to me.’

Speaking to News.com.au this week, Reggie said that every day is a ‘battle’. ‘It’s a battle. It’s a definitely a challenge living with retinitis pigmentosa. Every day is a challenge,’ she said

In October, Reggie was left heartbroken when she discovered she had Usher syndrome, a rare genetic disease that affects both hearing and vision.

‘It’s not what I wanted to hear,’ Reggie explained in an emotional clip shared to Instagram.

‘It’s the worst thing that you could have. I’m going to be deaf-blind,’ she continued, before breaking down into tears.

‘So I’ve just gotta try and make the most of every day, while I can see, because I’ve just got nine degrees of pinhole vision left, and I don’t have any peripheral vision or night vision,’ she said. Pictured on Big Brother

Reggie made history when she became the first reality star to win Big Brother twice, the first time in 2003 and again in 2022.

Despite taking home $250,000 in prize money during the 2003 and 2022 seasons of Big Brother, the TV personality has struggled financially over the years. 

She previously hit back at her critics who doubted her bad run of health in an interview with TV Week.

‘A lot of people are saying, “Oh, she’s faking it.” Who would want to fake being blind?’ she told the publication.

The former fish and chip shop manager, who says her vision is now like looking through straws, added: ‘They don’t know me, or the challenges I deal with every day.

‘I think people who leave comments like that have issues.’

Reggie made history when she became the first reality star to win Big Brother twice, the first time in 2003 (pictured) and again in 2022. The TV personality has struggled financially over the years despite winning $500K over the years