Joe Manganiello is known for playing a vampire on True Blood and stealing scenes in Magic Mike, but behind the scenes he was fighting something much scarier than any script. The 49-year-old actor just shared hospital photos from a seven-year battle with an undiagnosed autoimmune condition, and the details are intense. It started in 2016 when he collapsed on a North Carolina film set. His large intestine had ruptured.“My entire large intestine had turned to pus and was about to explode,”he writes.
After emergency surgery to remove the organ, his body went into freefall. He lost 60 pounds in two weeks and developed painful skin conditions during recovery, all of which he documents in his new memoir, Bloodlines. Through it all, he credits his then-wife Sofía Vergara with making the decision that saved his life, a powerful reminder of how illness can reshape a marriage.
Manganiello is now engaged to Caitlin O’Connor, who has been actively promoting the book, and he says he’s finally ready to tell the story he hid for nearly a decade. It’s a candid look at chronic illness, recovery, and the people who show up when everything falls apart. Have you ever supported a loved one through a serious health crisis? How did it change your relationship?
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.