Actor Joe Manganiello reveals seven-year health battle that involved a 'life-saving amputation'
Updated . First published
Actor Joe Manganiello has revealed he suffered from a life-threatening autoimmune illness that resulted in an amputation.
The 49-year-old opened up about the health battle for the first time in his upcoming memoir, Bloodlines, and admitted he dealt with “a cascade of autoimmune-related illnesses” that attacked his thyroid, digestive system, skin, lungs and eyes.
Actor Joe Manganiello has opened up for the first time about a seven-year health battle that led to an 'amputation'. Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for CNN
Manganiello has not spoken about his before, and the reveal came in the synopsis for the memoir, which will detail the seven-year battle.
The actor experienced “chronic pain, a life-saving organ amputation, existential crisis and a prolonged fight for survival that left doctors with few answers and no clear explanation”.
He did not elaborate what the organ was.
Manganiello fought for answers for years, but doctors were unable to explain what was happening to him.
So, the Magic Mike star turned to unorthodox pathways in order to get answers.
He used “shamans, pagan rituals, ancient myths, long-lost family records and the rebirth of his own spirituality” to try to aid his illness, according to the synopsis.
Throughout this health journey, he also went on a deep dive through his family history, which also revealed that some of his ancestors also lived with chronic illness.
It’s not clear when the actor dealt with the illness.
Bloodlines, Manganiello's memoir, will detail his health battle and journey to look into his family history and set to be released in October. Simon & Schuster
“It was the most brutally difficult time of my life, one I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy, but also my greatest adventure,” the actor told People in a statement.
“I hope that what I went through on this journey can give readers hope that answers and healing may lie for them on the other side of whatever they are fighting through.”
He said the process of writing the book gave him perspective, which helped him see that he could emerge from the years of suffering “forever changed.”
Bloodlines is set to be released on October 13.
Joe Manganiello pictured with his fiancee Caitlin O'Connor, who he proposed to in June 2025. Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images for NEON
Manganiello is currently engaged to Caitlin O’Conner, after popping the question in June 2025.
The Magic Mike star was previously married to actress Sofia Vergara from 2015 to 2024.
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