Meteorologist Janice Dean Leaves Fox After 22 Years Amid MS Battle

Christina Applegate Addresses Health Concerns Amid MS Battle

Janice Dean is signing off from Fox & Friends.

The meteorologist announced on June 25 that she is leaving the morning show after 22 years due to complications stemming from multiple sclerosis (MS), which she was diagnosed with in 2005.

"For those living with MS, the war is inside of us," Dean shared in a three-minute video message posted on her social media accounts. "We may look fine, but our immune system is attacking the brain, the spinal cord, and sometimes the optic nerve. We are left with permanent scars, but ones you can only see on MRI imaging."

Though Dean was "able to handle the early mornings, the many hours on my feet, and the stress of broadcasting live" for a while, she started "increasingly feeling" her symptoms as time went on.

"Ultimately, my symptoms progressed to the point that I can no longer continue working in my role, and my doctors agreed that stepping away was necessary for my health," the 56-year-old explained. "So, maybe I'll call this my mostly sunny goodbye—because for every goodbye, there's always the next hello and maybe the chance to meet again one day in a different place at another time."

MS is a chronic autoimmune disorder that causes the breakdown of the protective covering around nerve fibers, interrupting communication between the brain and the rest of the body, according to the Mayo Clinic. There is no cure for the disease.

"Thankfully, I was diagnosed early," Dean noted in her video, "and I've been on different therapies over the last two decades."

Steven Ferdman/Getty Images

Calling her Fox & Friends tenure a "pivotal part" of her life for the last 22 years, Dean thanked her colleagues as well as viewers who tuned in "through the good times and the bad, the dark clouds and the sunshine."

"I'm also grateful for my family and my closest friends, whose love and encouragement has gotten me through these really tough moments," she continued, "but I know how lucky I was, and that's why it's so hard to finally say the words."

Dean added, "Take good care of yourselves. Be well. God bless you all and thank you from the bottom of my heart."

For more celebs getting candid about their personal health struggles, read on.

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