Aunt Viv, as she was affectionately called on television series Fresh Prince of Bel Air is suffering from an unusual medical condition that prevents her from working.
The DailyMail reported Wednesday that 58-year-old Janet ‘Aunt Viv’ Hubert made the revelation after she decided to sue her insurance company to fund more specialist treatment.
The condition includes intense spasms, debilitating episodes of vertigo and a ‘strange chattering’ of her jaw.
The report said that the only relief from Hubert’s symptoms comes, she claims, from a specialist procedure in which needles are inserted into trigger points in her face, head and jaw.
Hubert said that while her insurance company pays for up to 16 of these sessions a year that is not enough.
She is unable to fund extra sessions herself, and is suing to have the rest covered.
DailyMail added that as a result of the lack of treatment, Hubert claims ‘She has been unable to accept numerous jobs. She has been forced to go on disability.’
Hubert has been dealing with health issues for over ten years and initially sought treatment for facial pain and vertigo.
“At that time, the medical treatment was covered under her health plan with the American Federation of Television and Radio Acts (AFTRA). Her symptoms worsened to the point where she was unable to comb her hair and could not touch her face. Things got so bad that Janet even found light painful,” the DailyMail report said.
The actress said she tried several procedures to alleviate the symptoms, finally finding some relief with the ‘trigger point injections.’
“While initially covered by her insurance, AFTRA allegedly changed course claiming the treatments were ‘excessive in terms of frequency and duration’ and wouldn’t cover them all.
Last year, the actress filed a lawsuit in the hope of getting the necessary coverage reinstated,” Daily Mail said.
Hubert became famous for playing Will Smith’s original Aunt Viv on the popular sitcom from 1990 to 1993.
The actress was let go in 1993 halfway through the show’s six year run and has blamed Smith for her departure, claiming she was dismissed because she refused to bow to his ego.
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