THE smiles and quick wit of a reality TV star are hiding the trauma of an excruciatingly painful incurable disease that’s blighted her life.

Gwen Roberts, 45, is a popular regular on Gogglebocs Cymru – the hit Welsh version of Gogglebox - but viewers are totally unaware that behind all the jokes and quips she’s been plagued with ulcerative colitis since childhood.

She appears alongside husband Dylan on the series  - where ordinary people voice their opinions about a range of television programmes – that’s broadcast on S4C on Wednesdays at 9pm.

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The mum-of-two from Valley, on Anglesey, now wants to use her new-found fame as a platform to raise awareness about the little known condition.

Gwen is heartbroken that one of her two sons has also developed ulcerative colitis, which can be hereditary, and it has begun to take over his life, just as it did her own.

She’s calling for government and health organisations to launch a publicity campaign explaining how its devastating symptoms impact on every part of sufferers’ lives.

Gwen was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis when she was just 13 after being struck with debilitating stomach pains and persistent diarrhoea. She lost two stone in 10 days.

At first, doctors put it down to a tummy bug but her agonising symptoms continued for months becoming so severe that surgeons eventually removed her colon and she was fitted with an ileostomy bag.

The bag functions as an exterior “colon” lying on the outside of the stomach and working to remove bodily waste routed from the small intestine.

The trauma of the illness and having such an invasive procedure so young turned Gwen’s life upside down.

She said: “As well as the physical pain, it affected my mental wellbeing. I felt embarrassed and ashamed about having to live my life with the bag.

“I didn’t want to go out anywhere, I lost all my self-esteem and confidence, and I felt completely isolated.

“I lost friends, who I did not see anymore. I had so much time off through illness that I struggled to keep up with schoolwork and rumours went round my school that I had cancer.

“Other pupils and even teachers just did not understand what was wrong with me. It was 1992 and no one had heard of ulcerative colitis.”

Gwen calls it an “invisible illness” as people cannot see the symptoms and do not know what a sufferer is going through as they struggle to lead normal lives.

She said her son, Gethin, 26, lost his job when the illness first manifested in him.

Gwen urged anyone experiencing similar symptoms including relentless stomach pains, diarrhoea or passing blood to get checked out immediately and insist on being tested for ulcerative colitis.

She said: “The effect of the disease scars the bowel which increases the risk of developing cancer. The longer it is untreated the more scarring there will be.”

Treatment includes medication to reduce inflammation in the bowel, though in severe cases surgery may be needed.

She met her husband Dylan, 47, who works at RAF Valley maintaining airfield safety equipment when she was 16 and he was aged 18.

As well as Gethin, the couple have another son, Tomos, aged 25.

Gwen, who works as a pre-op nurse at Ysbyty Gwynedd, said she advises anyone facing an ileostomy procedure to focus on the benefits rather than the negatives.

She said she and Dylan are loving every minute of being part of the Gogglebocs team which they joined as newcomers for the current 2024 series.

She said: “Everyone is so supportive and it’s given us lots of laughs, which has to be a good thing!”

The last programme in the current series of Gogglebocs Cymru goes out on S4C at 9pm on Wednesday, April 3.

English subtitles will be available and the programme can also be viewed on S4C Clic, BBC iPlayer and other streaming platforms.