Reggie’s heartbreaking confession reduces Matty J to tears on I’m A Celeb

“Totally gone”: Big Brother star Reggie’s devastating confession to Matty J has led to a very emotional moment on I’m A Celebrity.

Beloved Aussie reality TV star Reggie Sorenson has reduced her I’m A Celebrity campmate Matt “Matty J” Johnson to tears with a heartbreaking confession about her health.

The Big Brother Australia winner, 50, has previously revealed she is legally blind due to having a rare degenerative eye disease. In 2022, she was also diagnosed with stage two Usher Syndrome, which impacts vision and causes hearing loss.

Sorenson opened up about her devastating health battle. Picture: Ten

The TV star and podcast host became visibly emotional during the conversation. Picture: Ten

On top of all that, as Sorenson explained to Johnson, she had also fallen victim to online bullying, as people questioned her illnesses.

“I posted a video (on social media) of me dancing and (it was), ‘how can she be dancing, I thought she was blind’,” she explained.

“People need to be educated that blindness is a spectrum. Not everyone has to have the big black glasses and sit at home and not do anything. That is what people have in their heads.

“There is such a misunderstanding about blindness. Because I try and keep going all the time, sometimes you get knocked down because you try to keep going.”

The mother of two, who was the first woman to win Big Brother Australia back in 2003 and returned to also win the all-star version in 2022, was then asked by Johnson: “Are you scared?”

“I think … I reckon I will probably change when it is all totally gone, I won’t be able to do as much as what I do now,” Sorenson replied.

Johnson was in tears when he later spoke with producers. Picture: Ten

When Johnson asked her what she will “miss most” upon losing her vision completely, her response saw him become visibly emotional.

“Seeing the kids, I think,” she told him. “I’ll miss the kids.

“I never know if it is my last day of when I will see again. That day is going to come, and that is why I am so blessed to be here, to enjoy and see all of this stuff and chuck it in the memory bank, to make the most of it.”

Later on, speaking to producers about their conversation, Johnson broke down in tears.

“Knowing what Reggie’s gone through … she’s a mum who is afraid of never being able to see her kids again, because she’s going blind,” Johnson said.

“All of a sudden, my struggles seem so insignificant (compared to) what she’s going through.”

Two-time Big Brother winner Reggie was rightly teased as “reality TV royalty” by Ten, but as she told news.com.au in an interview announcing her new gig, life hasn’t been easy of late.

Reggie pocketed $250,000 cash in 2022 for her second Big Brother win, but the money hasn’t exactly been life-changing. Unemployed and unable to secure a home loan, it’s instead been spent on rent and essentially keeping her afloat in day-to-day life.

“It’s been poo to be honest. I’m not whingeing, but that’s been the reality of it. So it’s been hard,” she said.

She said she hoped her I’m A Celeb stint would lead to more TV opportunities.

“It’s just a matter of someone giving me that chance. It’s a really weird situation to be in: A lot of people go, ‘Everyone loves Reggie,’ but no one wants me.”

I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here! continues tonight at 7.30pm on 10 and 10 Play.

Originally published as Reggie’s heartbreaking confession reduces Matty J to tears on I’m A Celeb