Yolanda Foster: 'I helped Lavigne win Lyme disease battle'

Model and reality TV star Yolanda Foster has saluted Avril Lavigne for going public with her Lyme disease battle, revealing she helped the singer tackle the health crisis.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, who is married to songwriter David Foster, has been outspoken about her own struggles with the disease, and in a new interview, she has revealed she helped another star after learning she was ill.

Foster says, "I took Avril under my wing when she first got sick and shared all I know. I am so proud of her for going public."

Lavigne recently opened up about her health problems after confessing she was ill in a tweet in December (14), telling People magazine she was bedridden for five months.

She says, "I had no idea a bug bite could do this... I felt like I couldn't breathe, I couldn't talk and I couldn't move. I thought I was dying. There were definitely times I couldn't shower for a full week because I could barely stand. It felt like having all your life sucked out of you. (The public) were asking about me since I was MIA, so I mentioned to one fan directly that I wasn't feeling good. The get-well messages and videos they sent touched me so deeply. I'm 80 per cent better. This was a wake-up call. I really just want to enjoy life from here on out."