At 6'5, 237lbs, Calvin Johnson earned his nickname 'Megatron' not only by his former teammate, Roy Williams, but for his superior route running, strength, and speed combination that has allowed him to be regarded as one of the greatest wide receivers ever. From 2004-2006, Johnson attended the Georgia Institute of Technology where he arguably became the school's greatest football player of all-time. He ranks first in the school's history for career receiving yards (2,927), touchdowns (28), and career 100-yard receiving games (13).
Calvin Johnson was drafted 2nd overall in the 2007 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions where he played all nine seasons of his NFL career. Of those nine seasons, Johnson was a 6x Pro Bowler, 3x First-Team All-Pro, and 2x NFL receiving yards leader. In 2012, Johnson broke Jerry Rice's single-season record for receiving yards with a total of 1,848 yards and tied for first with Michael Irvin for most 100-yard games in a season with 11. With all of these accolades under his belt, the Lions offered Johnson an eight-year, $132 million extension in 2012. Though he retired this year, he still was able to rake in over $113 million throughout the course of his career.
They may be beautiful, rich and famous, but celebrities are human too, and that means they're just as prone to getting sick as the rest of us. And just like us, some celebs even live with chronic conditions that can take a toll on their day-to-day lives. But eczema – also referred to as dermatitis – is a common dry skin condition. Symptoms include dry, itchy, red and scaly skin. In more extreme cases, the skin can crust and bleed. According to the National Eczema Association, 1 in 10 individuals will develop eczema in their lifetime. And given these statistics, it’s hardly a surprise there are a few celebrities out there who have eczema too.
The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, 37, suffered from eczema in her teens. Kate was bullied heavily whilst attending Downe House girls’ boarding school, according to the Duchess’s friend Jessica Hay. According Hay, Middleton’s bullies made fun of her eczema. ‘It didn’t help that she was so tall and self-conscious about her eczema,’ Hay told CelebNow. Studies have shown children with moderate and extreme atopic dermatitis are more likely to suffer from conditions like anxiety and low self-esteem, which has a knock-on effect on their school work and ability to make friends.
Although Brad Pitt, 55, has not spoken about the issue himself, his co-star Cate Blanchett disclosed that Pitt was suffering from eczema during filming of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. In an interview with Scotland’s Daily Record, the actress said, ‘We went through three weeks of make-up tests and he was covered in eczema from it all.’ Blanchett sweetly loaned Pitt her skin cream to deal with the dermatitis, that had developed due to the use of prosthetic makeup worn during filming. Prosthetic make-up isn’t the hugest concern for us non-Hollywood folk, nevertheless, what is a concern, is how makeup can trigger eczema flair up. Unless makeup brushes are constantly washed (let’s be real, they’re not), they become a breeding ground for bacteria. This can lead to clogged pores and irritated sensitive skin.
Adele, 31, stated that her eczema flared up when she became a new mom. During a press conference in 2013 after her Golden Globe win for Best Original Song for the Bond film Sykfall, the singer said: ‘I am exhausted. That’s how [motherhood] changed me. I have eczema from boiling bottles.’ Research carried out by the BMJ (formerly known as the British Medical Journal) has revealed that contact dermatitis has the potential to have ‘detrimental’ impact and in the worst case scenarios can even threaten some sufferers ability to work.