Health

Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Gavin Lux was deeply emotional while discussing his season-ending ACL injury with reporters on Tuesday ... calling the whole ordeal "heartbreaking."

25-year-old Lux suffered the devastating setback when his knee buckled while running the bases in the Dodgers' spring training matchup against the San Diego Padres on Monday ... closing the curtain on his 2023 campaign.

Lux was visibly upset while discussing the injury with the media just minutes ago ... fighting back tears as he spoke about it.

"You put in a lot of time and work and you really enjoy the guys in the clubhouse," Lux said at the Dodgers' facility. "The hardest part is just not being able to be on the field, for sure."

Lux says he felt his knee pop right away ... and the outside of his leg went numb.

"S*** happens, so control what you can control and crush my rehab and try to be ready for 2024 when it rolls around and that's kinda all you can do," he added.

It was slated to be a big year for Lux, who was going to be the Dodgers' starting shortstop -- a role he's wanted since he was a kid.

"I think every baseball player's dream is to play shortstop for the Los Angeles Dodgers. So, yeah, I think that's one of the hardest parts."

Lux said his teammates have been nothing but supportive throughout the process ... adding it just goes to show "how good these guys in the clubhouse are."

Lux will have surgery next week ... and is expected to be out 8 months.

Zac Stacy's ex-girlfriend says the former NFL player is a changed man after he attacked her on two separate occasions in 2021 ... claiming therapy has helped him turn his life around.

Kristin Evans -- the mother of Stacy's child -- addressed the ex-running back's 6-month jail sentence in an Instagram post on Tuesday ... saying she was against putting him behind bars as a result of his abuse because it would not provide him the resources he would need to get better.

In the video, Evans claimed Stacy made the decision to seek cognitive behavioral therapy ... which resulted in a "significant adjustment in his behavior and communication."

FYI -- CBT is a psychological treatment that helps those battling mental illness, drug/alcohol abuse, depression, anxiety and more.

"And over the last six months, he's consistently shown an improvement, as well as our son enjoying spending time with him."

Evans added she also opposed jail time ... as it could have an impact on their kid's mental health.

"So please give me some grace in understanding that I’m not being easy on Zac, rather I am trying to protect our son from anymore trauma," she continued.

Ultimately, Evans believes the head trauma Stacy suffered during his football career played a role in his previous actions ... and she wants to give him another chance to prove he can change.

Evans' video has sparked numerous responses in the comment section ... with many calling for her to rethink her forgiveness for the sake of her family.

Travis Barker released new images of his grotesque hand injury as goes under the knife today ... and his injuries seem even worse than everyone thought.

The Blink-182 drummer posted a video showing his horribly deformed finger getting massaged by a doctor who asks if he feels pain. Travis responds, "I mean, yeah, it's painful."

He also posted two photos -- one showing a close up of his finger with either a lump or a bone out of place. The other picture depicts him with a Velcro strap over his damaged hand.  His caption read, "Surgery tomorrow 🤞"

Travis actually reinjured the finger ... a few weeks ago he said he was playing the drums during rehearsal and smashed his finger so badly it tore some ligaments.

Here's the problem ... Blink-182 has a world tour that kicks off next month, so it's unclear exactly what condition Travis will be in to perform ... at least on the early dates.

Kourtney Kardashian seemed worried, posting ... "🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼❤️❤️"

Finger's crossed ... maybe a bad choice of words.

William and Kate are in serious need of some Lululemon ... because they look ridiculous in their business attire as they peddle furiously at a fitness center.

The Prince and Princess hit up the Aberavon Leisure & Fitness Centre for a worthy purpose -- showing how exercise can benefit mental health.

That said, they both hopped on bikes during a spinning class and showed what they got ... for a grand total of 45 seconds. They both looked like they were going to pass out.

Kate was dressed in a jumper and skirt, choosing heels over tennis shoes.  William was in his go-to suit and tie.

William looked exhausted at the end of the ride, as others in the class ignored the obvious and gave them a hearty round of applause.

The couple competed against each other, and in the end, Kate was the victor ... winning a tiny gold trophy. 🏆

Tom Sizemore's family has a tough decision -- in light of his condition not having improved since his brain aneurysm ... his life may well soon be coming to an end.

The actor's manager, Charles Lago, tells TMZ ... doctors updated Tom's loved ones Monday, and the word is -- it's not good. He remains in critical care, in a coma and in ICU ... with no sign of improvement at this point, we're told.

As a result, Lago says the medical staff where Tom is being treated has recommended an end-of-life plan -- and laid out options. We're told the family's mulling that over now, and a statement on what they decide will be released in the days to come.

Lago also tells us that Tom's aneurysm was the result of a stroke he suffered on Feb. 18 at his home ... causing him to collapse and to be rushed to the hospital. We broke the story ... paramedics were called out that morning around 2 AM after someone found him.

Lago also tells us this ... "We are asking for privacy for his family during this difficult time and they wish to thank the hundreds of messages of prayers and support that have been received. This has been a difficult time for them."

Prince Harry is gearing up to get even more of his chest -- yes, there's more, apparently -- by sitting down with a renowned trauma expert, and the whole thing will be live streamed.

The Duke of Sussex has an appointment with Dr. Gabor Maté this Saturday, and royal watchers can pay to get a front-row seat to what's billed as an "intimate conversation," and can even ask questions in real-time according to "Spare" publisher Random House. The event tickets come with a copy of Harry's memoir.

Maté says the stream will dive deep into the importance of personal healing and touch on the impact of emotional loss. The doctor hopes the session with Harry can spark an open discussion about mental health for everyone.

Harry's spoken at length about his mental health in his book, and in "The Me You Can't See," the Apple TV+ series he co-produced with Oprah Winfrey.

FYI -- Maté's background is in dealing with childhood development, trauma and its potential lifelong impacts on physical and mental health. So, right up Prince Harry's alley ... considering the tragic loss of his mother, Princess Diana.

The doctor's also been a big promoter of the plant-based psychedelic ayahuasca as an alternative way to treat addiction, although he's faced some backlash due to it being an illegal practice in Canada.

Christina Applegate was a standout at the SAG Awards Sunday ... not because of her nomination --- but because of her courage.

The awesome actress -- if you have any doubts, watch "Dead to Me" -- is dealing with her multiple sclerosis diagnosis, and showed up with a cane with a powerful message.

As she entered the Fairmont Century Plaza in Century City, CA with her 12-year-old daughter Sadie, she was clutching a cane with the initials, "FU MS."

Christina was up for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series ... she said earlier this month it likely would be "my last awards show as an actor probably, so it's kind of a big deal."

As we reported, Christina revealed her multiple sclerosis diagnosis back in 2021 ... calling it a "strange journey," but one she's on with the support of others that share her condition.

She also dragged the disease late last year when she got her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame -- flashing her painted nails with "FU MS" emblazoned on them.

Unfortunately, Christina didn't take home gold at the SAG Awards, but the outpouring of support she's been receiving has been heartwarming.

Not only is "The Last of Us" drawing big TV ratings and buzz, it's now getting praise from menstrual cup companies for promoting the product and boosting sales.

No big spoiler's here, but if you missed last week's episode ... you didn't see the main character, Ellie, getting gifted a menstrual cup. At first, Ellie, who was born in a post-apocalyptical world seems a bit confused, but then she gets excited once she realizes what it is ... saying "gross" with a smile on her face.

While the scene was quick, fans hopped online to celebrate the significance of bringing women's health to the forefront and showing off a reusable alternative to tampons and pads.

A rep for The Flex Co., which makes menstrual cups, tells TMZ they saw a 400% increase in sales in the 2 days after the episode aired on HBO, a testament to media's "unparalleled power to destigmatize periods."

Over at Cora Life, another menstrual cup producer, a rep says they're thrilled to see a sustainable menstrual care product make it on such a high-profile show ... and they've also seen a slight uptick in orders.

Worth noting, 'Last of Us' didn't depict a specific brand, but obviously, it's prompted consumers to research them.

Lena Cup is also getting more hits -- a rep says the market was "energized" by the HBO shoutout, and they're all hoping the scene normalizes gifting menstrual cups.

Those who speculated COVID-19 might've arisen from a lab in China -- meaning it was created by scientists and accidentally escaped -- appear to have been right all along.

Per the Wall Street Journal -- which says it's reviewed an internal report by the U.S. Energy Dept. that was apparently shared with the White House and Congress recently -- the lab leak theory seems to hold true, at least based on their own investigation and findings.

The DoE's classified intelligence report concludes COVID likely slipped out into the public via a "mishap" at a lab in China -- unclear which one though, or under which exact circumstances -- and that they've reached this new determination with fresh intel. However, the report also notes their confidence is "low" in terms of being absolutely sure here.

Here's the thing ... the FBI arrived at a similar assessment in '21 on the origin of the virus -- through their own investigation -- but not every government agency agrees. In fact, there are 4 other (unidentified) agencies, as well as a national intelligence panel, that still feel it may have emerged through natural transmission ... but their confidence in that is also "low," according to WSJ. In other words, no one really knows -- but everyone has a good guess.

So, while this Energy report is far from a definitive say on how COVID came about -- it does open the door for debate ... which was widely shut down as conspiratorial 2-3 years ago, when regular folks were suggesting it might have been something man-made/man-spread.

In fact, some claimed they were being outright censored on social media for spreading this type of theory ... which was being written off at the time as misinformation, and some even went so far as to say it was racist and xenophobic in nature to even suggest the lab leak.

Woody Harrelson raised more than a few eyebrows during his "Saturday Night Live" appearance ... this after the actor went all conspiratorial on COVID vaccines ... something he's done before.

Harrelson leaned in on COVID as this week's SNL host, delivering a rambling opening monologue about smoking a joint and parking himself against a tree in Central Park while reading the "craziest script."

After 6 minutes, Woody got to the point, and it was sumpin' ...“So the movie goes like this: The biggest drug cartels in the world get together and buy up all the media and all the politicians and force all the people in the world to stay locked in their homes. And people can only come out if they take the cartel’s drugs and keep taking them over and over.”

He wrapped it up this way ...“I threw the script away. I mean, who was going to believe that crazy idea? Being forced to do drugs? I do that voluntarily all day.”

Social media wasn't amused. TV producer, Lee Goldberg tweeted, “Thank you, @nbcsnl, for Woody Harrelson’s insipid anti-vax monologue.”

A second person wrote, "That's NOT COOL! I lost the best mother figure to me & my sister that we had who died only 4hrs after contracting the f***ing virus!"

Another person chimed in, "This Guy IS a joke."

WWE Superstar Carmella is opening up, talking about the ectopic pregnancy that forced her hiatus from the company ... revealing the situation was so severe, she could've lost her life.

Carmella joined her husband, Corey Graves and his podcast partner, Kevin Patrick on CG's 'After The Bell' podcast ... where she went into detail about the traumatic experience, explaining how the terrible situation forced her into a "deep depression."

"It was so difficult," Carmella recalled of the October 2022 miscarriage.

"It’s insane because not only am I in the emergency room for this crazy medical condition that we have to monitor closely, I was on bed rest for four weeks straight, I couldn’t do anything."

"I’m also processing the loss of our baby. It was a double whammy," the WWE Superstar told Corey and Patrick.

Carmella says she was in a dark place after the medical emergency.

"I was in a deep depression for a while. It was really hard. I felt it was necessary for me to share my story. Even though I had you [Corey], I had my family, I had never felt so alone because it’s like blaming yourself. ‘What did I do wrong?' 'How could I have prevented this?’ It turns out there is nothing I could have done."

FYI, an ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fertilized egg implants and grows outside of the uterus (as opposed to inside the uterus during a healthy pregnancy) usually in a fallopian tube, according to the Mayo Clinic. Ectopic pregnancies cannot proceed, and as Carmella said, can be fatal for the mother.

Carmella -- the 2017 Money in the Bank Women's ladder match winner -- admitted she questioned whether she'd ever feel good again following the tragedy.

"It was a very difficult time and it felt like, my return was up in the air, I didn’t know. 'Am I ever going to go back to work?' 'Am I ever going to feel okay?' 'Am I ever going to feel good enough to get off the damn couch and put some makeup on and feel good about myself?'"

"Luckily, we’re here and on the other side, but it was definitely a difficult journey."

Aside from scores of family and friends helping her reach the other side, Carmella says there was one person in particular who went above and beyond ... Stephanie McMahon.

"I’m gonna get emotional thinking about it. She was so supportive of me through all of it. Reached out to me several times, we had several phone conversations about it."

Carmella says she will be "forever grateful" for what the WWE exec and daughter of Vince McMahon did for her, saying "not only does she preach women empowerment, she practices it."

Carmella made her long-awaited return to WWE earlier this month.

Joe Exotic has apparently made up his mind -- he will die behind bars and refuse further treatment -- because his medical team believes his prostate cancer spread to his bladder.

In a letter obtained by TMZ, Joe says he's recently had a lot of blood in his urine and has been bleeding a lot during his prostate cancer treatments. Joe met with his urology specialist Wednesday who thinks Joe's cancer has spread to his bladder.

While Joe says his specialist wants him to go through some testing to be 100%, he's decided he won't seek treatment, writing, "I want to stay here and just let it take its course.”

It's unclear just how much longer Joe has to live, but he makes one thing very clear -- he won't stop his fight for justice, saying, “The world has to know just how corrupt our justice system is … If I have to be the one to die innocent in here fighting for the truth maybe people around the world will finally speak up for the truth for once.”

TMZ broke the story, Joe recently wrote up a new will, leaving everything to his fiancé, Seth Posey, who he met over the internet.

Joe's clearly still got Seth on his brain, ending his most recent letter by saying, "I could care less about dying, my birthday is coming up soon and all I want is to see Seth.”

Bethenny Frankel is suffering ... and the symptoms sound just awful.

Bethenny tearfully revealed her struggle Thursday, knowing her fans would instantly notice her face looked odd. She says it's all related to her struggle with POTS disease -- a blood circulation disorder that is associated with bloating, extreme achiness, weight gain and, worst of all, dehydration.

Bethenny says the dehydration is messing with her life in a profound way ... she cannot retain water, and it has all sorts of consequences for her health. Her doctors say it's all related to POTS.

The 52-year-old says her disease has magnified since COVID, and there's no cure so she's really struggling.

Lil Wayne's revealing his secret to staying lean and fit ... and the main ingredient is steering clear of fast food chains and the gym for the past 20 years!!!

Wayne recalls first moving to Miami when he was 19, and says because his mom was a chef, she urged him to hire one of his own.

The Young Money megastar took his madre's advice and has been thriving as a result ... telling Apple 1's Zane Lowe he couldn't ID the smell of McDonald's if the aroma smacked him in the face, as he's royally opposed to fast food.

Wayne also admitted he doesn't do any working out -- with or without weights -- and quipped Jim Jones is one of the only "gyms" he knows.

We guess Wayne doesn't really count his skateboarding hobby as physical exercise ... despite being plenty active. He says it's the camaraderie amongst skaters more than anything that keeps him riding.

The 40-year-old will undoubtedly keep up his nutrition routine this year ... he's set to not only drop his long-awaited "Carter VI" album but embark on a nationwide tour to pump the music.

BTW, personal chef living isn't always smooth sailing -- as we first reported, Wayne's dealing with a wrongful termination lawsuit from one of his ex-chefs.

Interventionist Ken Seeley is urging all the folks in Britney Spears' inner circle to get on the same page and get her some help ... saying if she continues to spiral, it could cost her her life.

The "Intervention" star joined "TMZ Live" Wednesday and, like many folks, he shared some major concern for Britney after someone in her world called off the planned intervention for her.

Ken tells us the key to pulling off a successful intervention is a united front from all the folks involved. He says if one person isn't on board, the whole thing crumbles ... and that's exactly what happened in Brit's situation.

Remember ... TMZ broke the story, those closest to BS wanted her to get help -- for mental health struggles and substance abuse -- but someone pulled the plug. Her lawyer Mathew Rosengart was mum about the failed plan when we asked what went wrong.

As we reported, some fans and folks close to Brit have become increasingly alarmed by her erratic behavior ... like her Tuesday post speaking in an Aussie accent while running around yelling, "Never be a rollercoaster!"

Ex-NFL star LenDale White says he almost lost his life at 34 ... revealing this week he suffered a massive heart attack four years ago that he admits probably should have killed him.

The former USC tailback dropped the bombshell while appearing on the "I Am Athlete" podcast ... telling ex-NFL stars Brandon Marshall, Adam "Pacman" Jones and Marshawn Lynch the medical emergency happened on Jan. 20, 2019.

White says the left anterior descending artery in his heart had clogged ... and docs had to shoot two stints into his ticker so his blood could flow again.

White explained he learned a short time later that the type of heart attack he suffered kills most people.

"It's called a 'widow-maker,'" he told the guys on the pod, "because you're really not supposed to make it back from that."

The 38-year-old said only a handful of people -- including Pacman and his good friend and former teammate Chris Johnson -- knew about it ... because he simply didn't want any sympathy from outsiders.

White -- who was picked by the Titans in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft -- says he's now supremely focused on taking care of his body ... after he admitted it was not a priority for him at all during his football career.