On Instagram, Sylvie Jenaly, aka Super Nanny, revealed that she suffered from a rare inflammatory disease responsible for spectacular weight gain. After a year of treatment, she finally says she has recovered and delivers an emotional message to her fans.
Super Nanny’s silent fight against illness
On her social networks, the famous “Super Nanny” from TFX chose to confide without filter. In a long message published on October 27, 2025, Sylvie Jenaly recounted for the first time the illness that had a profound impact on her. “Many have obviously noticed that I have gained a lot of weight“, she writes with sincerity. An observation often noted, sometimes even cruelly, by certain Internet users.
Behind this transformation was a very real reason. “I was on cortisone treatment for a year to treat myself. We all know to what extent this type of treatment unfortunately causes weight gain…” she explains. The diagnosis was made: PPR, pseudo rhizomelic arthritis, a rare autoimmune disease causing intense pain and extreme fatigue. “It was terribly painful for months until diagnosis and treatment took effect.“, she confides again.
After a difficult year, the small screen’s favorite nanny is finally breathing. “Today, everything is back to normal. Your Nanny is cured!“, she rejoices, specifying that she has already lost 12 kilos out of the 14 gained during the illness. Her message, accompanied by a radiant selfie, touched thousands of Internet users. “It’s just a bad memory today“, she adds, relieved.
Pseudo polyarthritis rhizomelic: the little-known disease that mainly affects women
Dr. Gérald Kierzek, emergency physician and medical director of True Medical, details the pathology. “Pseudo rhizomelic arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease that mainly affects people over the age of 50, especially women.“, he explains.
It manifests itself as “significant morning pain and stiffness in the muscles near the trunk, especially the shoulders and hips“Unlike other rheumatic diseases, it does not destroy muscles, but causes “fatigue, mild fever, loss of appetite and biological signs of inflammation” such as elevated ESR and CRP.
The diagnosis is based on clinical and blood tests, sometimes supplemented by imaging (MRI, ultrasound or PET scan) to rule out other diseases. Treatment is based on low-dose cortisone. “Patients experience rapid improvement within days“, specifies the doctor. The doses are then reduced over one to two years to avoid relapses. “In certain cases, particularly in cases of dependence or relapse, targeted treatments such as anti-IL6 may be prescribed.“, he adds.
The disease generally progresses in flare-ups, but without causing deformation or joint destruction, unlike rheumatoid arthritis. However, regular medical monitoring remains necessary, in particular to prevent the adverse effects of cortisone (weight gain, bone fragility, hypertension).
An encouraging healing and a message of hope
Today, Sylvie Jenaly enjoys her healing and her “rebirth”. After a difficult year, she says she wants to focus on the essentials: her health, her loved ones and her work with families. His message resonates as a call for compassion towards those who fight, often in silence, against illness.
“A big thank you to everyone who supported me during this somewhat complicated period. For me, this is all behind me now“, she writes, with a renewed smile.
Proof that beyond the television character, Super Nanny remains above all a courageous woman, who reminds us that kindness has no age, especially when it begins with oneself.