INSIDE EDITION EXCLUSIVE:

“BACHELORETTE” STAR ALI FEDOTOWSKY-MANNO INITIALLY THOUGHT BOTOX CAUSED PAINFUL REACTION; LATER DISCOVERED IT WAS ACTUALLY SHINGLES

“The pain was so bad that there were times I would wake up in the middle of the night just screaming”

AIRING ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17^th

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New York, NY – November 17, 2021 – In an exclusive airing on Wednesday, INSIDE EDITION speaks with Ali Fedotowsky-Manno, the former “Bachelorette” star who is speaking out about her shocking diagnosis and experience living with shingles.

“When I first read your story, I thought, she’s young, healthy and she had shingles?” said INSIDE EDITION’s Megan Alexander.

“Honestly, I couldn’t believe it either,” Fedotowsky-Manno tells INSIDE EDITION. “I’m only 37 years old. How could this possibly be happening? I always thought it happened to people in their 60s.”

Fedotowsky-Manno became a fan favorite when she starred on season six of “The Bachelorette.” She picked Roberto Martinez as her fiancé, but the relationship didn’t last. She is now married to TV host Kevin Manno and is the mother of two young kids.

Her shingles diagnosis came after she started feeling tingling in her forehead. She initially thought it was a reaction to a Botox injection.

However, it wasn’t the Botox – it was shingles. Shingles is caused by the same virus as chickenpox, which left Fedotowsky-Manno with a painful rash.

“I had two little, they looked like tiny little pimples pop up and as the days went by, they started blistering out and then it started moving,” says Fedotowsky-Manno.

She tried to hide the sores on social media with her hair. Then, she started experiencing extreme nerve pain, a common shingles complication.

“I felt lightning bolts pulsing through my brain,” Fedotowsky-Manno tells INSIDE EDITION.

“I didn’t think I was going to get emotional talking about this, but the pain was so bad that there were times I would wake up in the middle of the night just screaming, just begging my husband to make the pain stop. I can’t even explain how horrible the pain was.”

Shingles occurs most frequently in people over 50, but her doctor says it’s on the rise among younger people.

Fedotowsky-Manno is sharing her experience to help others.

“Even though I caught it early,” says Fedotowsky-Manno. “It was still so intense, so I want to spread awareness so other people can catch it right away because that’s key.”

For INSIDE EDITION’s full report, tune in on Wednesday, November 17th. Check local listings for times and stations in your area.  

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