Even though their lives can seem so different from the average person’s, it turns out celebrities can be just like us!

You may be surprised to hear that there have been many stars who have opened up about their very personal experiences with incontinence. Their choice to be vocal about the common condition actively helps to reduce the stigma associated with it and encourage others to speak up and seek help.

There are so many celebrities who’ve had incontinence, from sports stars and actors to authors and musicians. So read on to find out which celebrities are helping to make incontinence less of a taboo and reassure those with incontinence that they are not alone!

You might remember Jana Pittman for her 2000 Olympic athletics debut, or maybe even more recently from her appearance on the Amazing Race AU. Now, it might surprise you to hear that she experiences postpartum incontinence.

In 2021, Jana opened up about her struggles with incontinence on the reality show S.A.S.

After completing a running challenge and standing with the other cast members, Jana revealed she had a bladder leakage accident on the run. While she admitted that experiencing this on national television was hard, she felt that being honest about what had happened would shine a spotlight on incontinence. She also wanted to highlight the consequences of a weakened pelvic floor following childbirth, to help normalise it and encourage others with it to seek assistance.

With her impressive CV as an athlete, Jana’s since hung up her running shoes to retrain as a doctor and specialise in obstetrics, further emphasising her passion and advocacy for women’s health issues - postpartum incontinence included.

“I feel there are so many taboo topics in women’s health and we just need to talk about them,” Dr Jana told ABC. “If we can make one woman feel better about her body… then we've made a huge difference."

That’s right, even America’s highest-grossing live-action actor Samuel L. Jackson experiences incontinence!

He’s been on our screens for just over half a century, starring in (and winning awards for) box-office hits like Pulp Fiction, Django Unchained and Star Wars, but it wasn’t until his late 40’s that he started experiencing a loss of bladder control.

While he’s open about having the condition now, he’s admitted it was difficult to come to talk about due to the taboo associated with having it. Realising that millions of people also suffer from the condition, he chose to use his platform to speak about it.

He hasn’t let his incontinence get in the way of living his life confidently, though, and wears continence aids daily - even while working on films.

“I realised that this was a problem that millions of Americans deal with every day,” says the actor.

US pop-star Katy Perry has had an impressive career for only 39 years of age, being awarded with 106 music awards in her career so far!

She’s been equally as impressive in talking about her struggles with urinary incontinence during her teenage years - showing that incontinence can affect young people, too.

Katy has opened up in multiple interviews about struggling with bladder control during high-school, revealing that she regularly wore incontinence aids at the time. She went through a number of treatments for urinary incontinence before it was discovered that the cause of the problem was a urinary tract infection, which was able to be promptly treated.

“I think that the whole experience made me a stronger and more understanding person,” the Firework singer says.

While she doesn’t struggle with urinary incontinence in adulthood, her vulnerability in talking about her experience is incredibly powerful and inspiring for all teenagers who may be struggling with daytime or nighttime wetting. It shows them that incontinence can be treated and managed effectively.

Stephen King, the author who brought us some of the most terrifying, best-selling horror novels (like The Shining, It, and Carrie just to name a few!), has discussed his problems with urinary incontinence.

While initially thinking his more frequent need to urinate and need for incontinence aids were due to bladder cancer, it was eventually discovered to be a urinary tract infection which was able to be treated. In treating his UTI, Stephen’s urinary incontinence symptoms cleared up too.

But, Stephen says he still keeps his incontinence aids nearby, stating “[you] never know when you’re going to need these at my age.”

Chrissy Teigen not only rose to fame after modelling in an issue of Sports Illustrated, but also for marrying US singer John Legend. She has since gone on to appear in other magazines like Cosmopolitan and Vogue Italia.

While her Hollywood life can easily present as glamorous, she’s opened up about something that may bedescribed as the opposite: postpartum incontinence.

She gave birth to her first child, Luna, via a C-section in 2016, and took to X (formerly Twitter) shortly after to say, “No one told me I would be coming home in diapers too.”

Chrissy has since had two more children and continues to be authentic about her post-birth experiences on social media to destigmatise the condition and share her first-hand knowledge. In particular, that having a C-section can still cause postpartum incontinence - not just vaginal births!

“I am learning you still need diapers with a c section!?” she posted on Instagram.

Former Hawthorn Football Club star, Dipper, was known for his strength on the field - and, of course, his fantastic moustache! But since his retirement, he’s turned his focus to advocating for men’s health issues - including urinary retention and incontinence.

Dipper shared his experience with urinary incontinence with the Herald Sun in 2022, revealing he first noticed problems when he was needing to urinate more frequently, having accidents and needing to wear male incontinence guards.

Regretting his decision to suffer in silence and put off seeking treatment, he’s now encouraging other men to speak candidly with their doctors about any incontinence symptoms early.

“Too many men ignore their symptoms and think they will just go away, but what I’ve learned is this can affect your life forever and you don’t have to put up with it,” he told the Continence Foundation of Australia recently.

Iconic British actress Kate Winslet has been extremely open about her struggles with urinary incontinence, too.

On an episode of the Graham Norton show, Kate discussed having stress incontinence and how it’s impacted on her daily life. She said there are certain things she avoids (like jumping on the trampoline with her children), and that sneezing, coughing or laughing can cause her to leak urine.

"When you've had a few children, you know, it's just what happens,” she says.

It hasn’t stopped her from living her life with confidence, though, and has graced our screens in multiple movies and TV shows since opening up about her condition.

While having incontinence can be a difficult thing to talk about, it’s important to remember that having candid discussions about the condition are essential to normalising it.

The experiences of these celebrities just goes to show that a variety of people experience incontinence at varying stages in life - and some are those you may not have ever expected!

We’re thankful for those who use their platform to talk openly about their experience with incontinence to help encourage and empower others to talk about it and look into treatment and management options.

If you experience any symptoms of incontinence, it’s important to speak to your GP or health professional for professional medical advice tailored to your situation.

You can also rely on our range of incontinence aids to help you manage your day to day life comfortably, and with confidence!