Sex Education star reveals she suffers from rare skin condition which has left her feeling 'half alive' and forced her to move back to her mother's house because she's in too much pain to carry out simple tasks
- Sex Education star Anthony Lexa said TSW left her feeling 'half alive' on TikTok
- READ MORE: Young man, 26, shares his battle with a rare and agonising flaky skin condition after using steroid cream for 20 YEARS
A breakout star who found fame after appearing in season four of Sex Education has admitted she has had to leave London and move back to her mother's house after being unable to look after herself due to 'horrific' struggles with topical steroid withdrawal (TSW).
Anthony Lexa, 24 - who played Abbi Montgomery in the final series of the hit Netflix show - took to TikTok to reveal the condition has left her feeling 'half alive' and stripped her of independence.
In the video, she showed how her face was marked by painful dry patches, and said she is now only able to wear cotton clothing and silk hair ties to avoid further irritation.
The rare skin ailment happens when the body becomes addicted to the steroid cream and therefore you can experience side effects when you stop using it after a prolonged period of time.
'I can't really do anything or think about anything because the pain can be so extreme some days, I literally don't even feel like I'm a human being,' she told her followers.
Anthony Lexa, 24 - who played Abbi Montgomery in the final series of the hit Netflix show - took to TikTok to reveal the condition has left her feeling 'half alive' and stripped her of independence
The actress and singer explained that she left her London life behind because even simple tasks were impossible with the pain she was suffering.
'I couldn't go shopping, I couldn't make dinners for myself,' she recounted. 'It's just spreading more and more. I'm so red it's crazy.
'I don't know if you can tell but I'm really losing so much of my hair.'
Anthony - who has also suffered with eczema - said that the condition has been 'horrific' to manage, but she is 'trying'.
The star showed how the redness and patches were marked across other parts of her body.
'I've just kind of disappeared offline because even looking at my phone recently has been stressful,' she admitted.
The 'brutal' skin condition also means Anthony is always at fear of infection and riddled with worries that her diet is going to worsen something.
She also said she has to exercise daily to regulate her circulation 'even though it hurts'.
The actress and singer explained that she left her London life behind because even simple tasks were impossible with the pain she was suffering
Anthony, who grew up in rural Devon, shot to public recognition after starring as Abbi Montgomery (right) in Netflix's Sex Education
Her character was a trans Christian girl who was kicked out of her family home, and goes on to move in with her boyfriend Roman (left, played by Felix Mufti)
The actress explained that it's also been difficult to deal with moving back home after carving out a life for herself in London.
'I worked so hard to be independent and have a good life,' she said. 'I was working from the age of 11, or ten, going to auditions, doing jobs.
'I moved out when I was 18 or 19 and it sucks to be back here. I feel like I'm giving up everything. I feel like I'm losing myself because all I can think about is the pain.
The actress explained that it's also been difficult to deal with moving back home after carving out a life for herself in London. Pictured in November
The rare skin ailment happens when the body becomes addicted to the steroid cream and therefore you can experience side effects when you stop using it after a prolonged period of time. Pictured left in July and right, in a more recent photo
'I can't even think about writing music which is the way I navigate everything in my life.'
Anthony expressed that the 'only thing giving her hope' is seeing other people's recovery journeys online.
'I want to do more stuff... but I'm in the early stages and this is the hardest thing I've ever gone through,' she said. 'Nothing compares to this. Thank you for bearing with me.'
Anthony, who grew up in rural Devon, shot to public recognition after starring as Abbi Montgomery in Netflix's Sex Education.
Her character was a trans Christian girl who was kicked out of her family home, and goes on to move in with her boyfriend Roman.
Anthony herself is also trans, and has spoken about how important representation in the hit Netflix show was for her.
'When you're watching actors, like on the new Doctor Who series or hopefully with Abbi, you just learn to love that messiness,' she told the Big Issue.
'And you see that sense of, oh my god, we're normal, and we're cool, and we're funny and we're stupid. And we're all these beautiful rainbow of emotions that isn't just trans, it's human.
'I think [Abbi] represents what it feels like to be young and trans when she feels like she has to be perfect. She's othered so she gets so scared of displeasing people that she thinks anything she does that is outside of her version of perfect will make her unloveable.'
She is also a musician, with her most recent releases including 'just in case' and 'early nights'.
