By NOEL MURPHY
GEELONG’S Hollywood star Portia de Rossi, reportedly in rehab for a month recently, has been suffering from cirrhosis of the liver and osteoporosis, according to new reports out of the US.
RadarOnline.com, headed by another Geelong figure, journalist Dylan Howard, this week reported the Arrested Development and Ally McBeal star had been diagnosed with the twin complaints more than a decade ago.
De Rossi, born Amanda Rogers and raised in Geelong, spent 30 days in a Malibu rehab centre from early May for treatment over drugs and alcohol — following an “ugly fight” with wife Ellen DeGeneres – according to In Touch Weekly.
Media heat has approached furnace temperatures on de Rossi and DeGeneres in recent months, with speculation about a break-up, cheating allegations and reports of serious differences between the pair.
Gossip website Celebdirty Laundry has fuelled the flames with its report:
“Some of you may not remember, but Ellen was photographed with a mystery brunette date back in February.”
International Business Times reported: “That also happened to be around the time that the initial divorce rumors were starting to heat up.
“Clearly, it wasn’t a coincidence that Portia ended up in rehab just two months later, and some reports are suggesting that it was the cheating, constant fighting and non-stop bickering that led to Portia hitting the bottle and going on a downward spiral.”
Celebdirty Laundry claimed Degeneres continued to cheat on her wife after she was admitted to rehab and the couple is heading for divorce sooner or later.
“Portia lost it and blamed Ellen for driving her to drink because of her controlling ways and said she wasn’t in love with her anymore,” a source told the magazine.
The Daily Mail, meanwhile, reported the couple were repairing their marriage post-rehab despite de Rossi’s ongoing battle with her “devils”.
De Rossi’s family, now living in LA, did not respond to requests by the Independent for comment.
