Iman Ali 'unable to speak' during interviews due to rare disease

Former supermodel and film actor Iman Ali opened up about the challenges and difficulties she faces in everyday life being a patient of multiple sclerosis — a rare disease — in the Geo News programme "Hasna Mana Hai".

Sharing details about her illness, she said one of the challenges is difficulty with speech. The Bol starlet said sometimes she can't even speak during interviews.

"Giving interviews is very difficult for me because I slur a lot, I slur all the time," Ali said.

The Khuda Kay Liye star — who was diagnosed with MS in 2006 — said that the disease never goes away and she has been trying to cope with it since then.

"It is very difficult to explain what multiple sclerosis is," Ali lamented. 

She said she had gone blind, lost the ability to walk, forgets basic words and currently, her hands are numb for the last one and a half year "but I see it as a challenge".

"The best could be not to let it get on your head [...] as many people have such diseases which are not physically apparent," the film star said.

She reiterated that speaking during interviews was tough as compared to acting, which was easier for her.

What is multiple sclerosis?

MS, also known as a potentially disabling disease, is a nervous system disorder in which the patient's immune system attacks the myelin sheath that surrounds and protects the nerves. 

This damages and scars the sheath and underlying nerves, which slows down or disrupts the messages the brain sends.

It is an incurable lifelong condition that can occasionally be mild but sometimes cause serious disability.