Maggie Smith suffers from this very rare condition: What is Grave's disease?

It was announced in the afternoon of 27 June 2023, that the trailer for Maggie Smith’s new film was out. The movie called The Miracle Clubwill be coming out on 29 September.

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Maggie Smith, whose career has been thriving through many decades, is plagued by a very rare illness that has impacted the production of some of her films. Grave's illness, which Smith has to live with, is extremely uncommon as it only impacts 2% of women.

On top of that, this isn't the only health issue Maggie Smith has had to deal with in her life. However, while those have been really concerning and serious, the actress kept on working on all her projects.

Let us tell you about it.

Maggie Smith’s rare disease

Maggie Smith is an iconic British actress. Her career has lasted for the past 70 years and has given us some unforgettable characters.

Who doesn’t know Professor McGonagall or her role as the blunt but endearing matriarch in Downton Abbey?

But for many years now, Maggie Smith has had to deal with a concerning disease.

In a 1990 interview given to The New York Times, the actress revealed that, in 1988, she was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease known as Grave’s Disease.

The NHS explains that it’s:

A condition where your immune system produces antibodies that cause the thyroid to produce too much thyroid hormone

While the cause of the disease is unknown the NHS supposes that ‘it runs in families.’

In her New York Times interview, she explained that she realised she might have that disease while working on a show when she was 33. She explains that her ‘eyes became irritated and protruded with puffiness.’ The actress says that she looked ‘absolutely frightening.’

Suggest explains that Maggie Smith was able to recover fully from it ‘thanks to radiotherapy and optical surgery’

But that’s not all.

Unfortunately for her, Smith also had a cancer scare in 2007. In 2009, in an interview with Times she revealed that though she was undergoing treatment, it didn’t impact the filming of Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince.

I had no problem getting the wig on. I was like a boiled egg.

Can you see Maggie Smith’s disease on screen?

Her health condition made headlines when fans of Maggie Smith noticed something different about her eyes in the film Downton Abbey.

Allegedly, in post-production, one of Maggie Smith’s eyes was photoshopped to make it more similar to the other one. The editing was noticed by a fan who made a TikTok video in which they explain:

I noticed something … there was something off about this shot of the Dowager. So I compared it with the trailer. Then I screenshot the same frame from the movie and the trailer. You can see they edited her left eye for the final movie.

Fans were left outragedby the alteration especially since the puffiness of her eyes can be explained by her autoimmune disease.

@swifteena
Was this really necessary? #downtonabbey
♬ Downton Abbey - The Suite - From “Downton Abbey” Soundtrack - The Chamber Orchestra Of London

⋙ Dame Judy Dench reveals acting has become 'impossible' due to difficult health condition

Comments on the video say:

how dare they honestly

she’s an old lady playing an old lady, why edit her face it’s iconic

my son has a lazy eye and I wish they would just keep things this in

However, the reason for this post-production edit has not been commented on by either Smith or her team so we can’t state why the decision was made.

In the trailer that came out yesterday for The Miracle Club, Maggie Smith’s eyes do not look puffy and no comments have been made by fans about a possible post-production change.

friendship, family, and forgiveness.

don't miss Laura Linney, Kathy Bates and Maggie Smith in the heartwarming #TheMiracleClub – coming to cinemas in the UK and Ireland, September 29 ✨#LauraLinney #KathyBates #MaggieSmith #StephenRea pic.twitter.com/evdA8ibF9O
— Lionsgate UK (@LionsgateUK) June 27, 2023