Award-winning American actress Viola Davis has opened up about her battle with shingles.
Viola revealed how the painful condition forced her to rethink her approach to health, ageing and the pressure to keep pushing through exhaustion.
The 61-year-old Hollywood star shared her experience publicly for the first time on October 8, 2026, during the launch of the “Shingles, actually” awareness campaign in partnership with pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).
In an interview, Davis recalled how the illness caught her off guard at a time when her career was gaining momentum and she had recently adopted her daughter, Genesis, with her husband, Julius Tennon.
The actress said developed flu-like symptoms accompanied by an extraordinarily painful rash, that began around her stomach before spreading to her back.
The rash eventually disappeared, only to return with blisters on her upper back, leaving her struggling with nerve pain and everyday movements.
Davis said she initially had little knowledge of shingles and was surprised to discover that the condition was responsible for her symptoms.
“I knew absolutely nothing about shingles,” she admitted.
She had believed that maintaining an active lifestyle and pushing herself through demanding work schedules were signs that she was doing enough to protect her health.
However, the experience challenged that assumption, particularly as she continued working despite the pain.
Davis said the ordeal taught her that strength should not mean ignoring the body’s warning signs or treating exhaustion as an unavoidable part of success.
Her experience has since inspired her to become more deliberate about self-care and speaking to healthcare professionals whenever something feels wrong.
Through the GSK campaign, the star hopes to encourage adults, particularly those aged 50 and above to understand their risk of developing shingles and seek medical advice about prevention.
Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, occurs when the varicella-zoster virus, which causes chickenpox, reactivates in the body.
It can cause a painful, blistering rash and in some cases, prolonged nerve pain.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about one in three people will develop shingles during their lifetime, with the risk increasing with age.
Viola Davis was born on August 11, 1965, in St. Matthews, South Carolina. Davis rose to international fame through acclaimed performances in films such as The Help, Fences and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, as well as the television series How to Get Away with Murder.
She won an Academy Award for Fences and in 2023, achieved the prestigious EGOT status by winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award, cementing her place among the entertainment industry’s most celebrated performers.