'I've got the same condition as Linda Nolan - one of my legs is double size of the other'

A woman with the same condition as Linda Nolan - which means one of her legs is more than double the size of the other - has praised the star for speaking out. Didi Okoh, 19, was diagnosed with lymphedema - a condition where excess fluid collects in tissue and causes - in 2016 when she was just 13 years old. Didi was teased as a teen for her ‘tree trunk leg’ - and has experienced rude questions and comments about what she wears. Didi struggles to find jeans and shorts to fit her uneven legs, but has discovered her Today (22), Linda Nolan revealed how she has 'learned to live' with lymphedema, which 'took' both of her arms and now her legs. Linda told the Express lymphedema has knocked her body confidence and left her with health problems. Didi praised Linda Nolan - and Wendy Williams - for speaking out and raising awareness. Didi, a law and criminology student at the University of Birmingham, West Midlands, originally from Chelmsford, Essex: "I feel like if I had that when I was younger it would have made a difference to my journey of self-discovering. "When I was younger, I felt like I was the only person who had it." Didi said Linda speaking out could help people spot the symptoms. She said: "There are so many people out there who might not realise that they have the condition. "I have a lot of people see my TikToks and realise that they have the symptoms." Didi added: "It was hard when I was around 15 as my leg was getting bigger and I was self-conscious. "But when I turned 18 it just hit me that I can't mope around and feel bad about it, because it's not going anywhere. I chose then and there to just embrace it, and I feel so much more confident now." Unfortunately, Didi has been told that there are no surgery options or treatments for her specific type of lymphedema. Didi said she manages the swelling by wearing high compression tights and elevating her leg. Didi said: "I've always been quite a bubbly and positive person, but after my diagnosis I did struggle. “Once the swelling spread to my whole leg, and the pain got worse, I did get really upset.” Didi, a law and criminology student at the University of Birmingham, West Midlands, originally from Chelmsford, Essex, said: "It’s such a rare condition that the doctors didn’t recognise it at first. “I’ve always been really into sport, so we thought my muscles were just swollen. “But it started to spread and got more and more painful, so we knew something wasn’t right. "It's a progressive condition, it goes in stages. If I were to have no treatment or manage the condition, it would be much worse. Right now it's one and a half times bigger than the other leg. It can sometimes reduce when I'm managing it, but it'll never be the same size as the other leg." The American talk show host Wendy Williams revealed in July she can only feel 5% of her feet due to lymphedema. This comes after the 58-year-old talk show host ended The Wendy Williams Show after 13 seasons. Back in 2019, Wendy revealed her diagnosis after paparazzi photos surfaced if her swollen ankles. Didi’s friends and family have been incredibly supportive of her condition, but she has found that strangers aren’t always as kind. Didi said: “I had a woman stop me in the street and tell me that I need to pray. People will often stop and stare at my legs - some will even come straight up to me and ask what’s wrong with me. “It’s quite rude and it used to bother me when I was younger, but now I think that people just don’t know enough about it and need educating. Rather than getting annoyed, I just explain to them that I have a condition.”