The Secret Lives of Mormon WivesStar Mikayla Matthews Shares Her Struggles with Chronic Illness: ‘Doesn’t Define Me’

Mar. 15, 2025

Mikayla Matthews.Photo:Mikayla Matthews/Instagram, Mikayla Matthews/TikTok

Mikayla Matthews/Instagram, Mikayla Matthews/TikTok

The Secret Lives of Mormon WivesStarMikayla Matthewsis opening up about her ongoing struggles with her chronic illness online.

In aTikTokposted on Sept. 15, the 24-year-old mom of three showcased some of the “good that has come from sharing about [her] chronic illness that has controlled [her] life.”

Mikayla Matthews.Mikayla Matthews/TikTok

Mikayla Matthews/TikTok

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WhileThe Secret Lives of Mormon Wivesmainly focused on the aftermath of the “soft swinging” scandal in 2022 that shook up MomTok, the show did not feature Mikayla’s ongoing struggles with her health and illness.

In anInstagrampost on Sept. 7, Mikayla showed photos of her skin flare-ups and her doctor visits throughout filming season 1. In the post, she explained how “showing up for filming the whole first season was not only physically exhausting but extremely mentally challenging.”

Mikayla first shared her struggles onTikTokin May 2023, when she explained that she has dealt with chronic eczema since childhood and revealed that the breast implants she got back in March 2023 caused her flare-ups to spread to her face.

“I’ve been struggling the last couple weeks with my surgery, I had a whole bunch of issues with recovery,” she said at the time. “I know it’s easier said than done to just not feel insecure about your insecurities, literally as I sit here crying about my insecurities, but I really am more confident than I’ve been.”

Mikayla Matthews/Instagram

In an interview withNewsweekon Sept. 9, Mikayla revealed that she had been struggling to find a diagnosis for three years after she experienced her first flare-up following the birth of her third child.

“Once we started filming is the first step I took to start healing my chronic illness,” she said. “That’s when I took out my breast implants, and they filmed that but it wasn’t shown.”

While she expressed “disappointment” that her health struggle was cut out of the season, Mikayla wrote on Instagram that she “hopes to come back again SEASON 2 and share my full story🫶🏼🫶🏼💅🏼.”

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wivesis now streaming on Hulu.

source: people.com