Denise Richards’ fans spot potentially serious health scare watching Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

Denise Richards has her fans to thank after they pointed out a potentially serious health problem during an episode of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

Denise Richards is thanking eagle-eyed Real Housewives of Beverly Hills fans for helping her get ahead of a potentially serious medical issue.

The former fashion model and actor was featured in season 9 of the hit reality series, which is available to stream on Foxtel.

During the cast’s reunion show, several fans took notice of Richards’ thyroid, a gland that sits low on the front of the neck and regulates metabolic rates, looking seriously inflamed.

It turns out the viewers were onto something. The 48-year-old star took to Instagram to reveal that she has made a significant diet change and seemed to imply that her thyroid has since shrunk because of it.

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“It’s amazing to me in a short time eliminating gluten from my diet how much my thyroid has changed,” she explained.

“A few of you pointed out after the #RHOBH reunion that my thyroid was enlarged. You were right, it was something I ignored until pointed out. I had no idea how much our diet really can affect our body and for me how toxic gluten really is … I thank all of you who sent me messages. #selfcare.”

The explanation came with two photos. The first shows the actor and reality star’s neck looking back to normal, presumably taken after her dietary change. The second shows her on the night that fans noticed her enlarged thyroid on the RHOBH reunion special, where her neck area looks visibly swollen.

Denise Richards in Sydney earlier this year to promote RHOBH. Picture: Brett Costello

An enlarged thyroid can — in the worst-case scenario — be a sign of thyroid cancer. The most common cause is an iodine deficiency.

Medical issues were front-and-centre for Richards, the ex-wife of Charlie Sheen, on the night of the reunion special. The model used the opportunity to reveal to host Andy Cohen that her eight-year-old daughter is learning to manage a chromosome disorder.

“She has a deletion in chromosome 8 which has caused many delays with her and it’s caused a lot with speech development,” Richards said of her daughter Eloise’s condition. She got emotional recalling the process of testing her after she missed several developmental milestones.

Richards with her ex-husband, Charlie Sheen, in 2003. Picture: Vince Bucci/Getty Images

RHOBH co-stars Kyle Richards and Dorit Kemsley began to cry alongside her, while Teddi Mellencamp and Lisa Rinna seemed visibly upset as well.

This article originally appeared on Fox News and was reproduced with permission