'Bachelor' star Daisy Kent advances to final 3: Fan-favourite opens up about how hearing loss and cochlear implant affected her confidence
The 25-year-old, who began losing her hearing at 15, received a cochlear implant 4 months before filming "The Bachelor."
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Daisy Kent secured a place in the final three after bringing Joey Graziadei home to meet her family.
On this week's episode of "The Bachelor," the 25-year-old account executive brought Graziadei to Becker, Minn. and made a stop at the Christmas tree farm her family used to own. After a surprise visit form her friends, Kent opened up to her inner circle about the impact Graziadei has had on her self-confidence.
Kent, who began losing her hearing when she was 15, received a cochlear implant in May 2023, approximately four months before she began filming "The Bachelor."
“With getting my cochlear implant I was always like ‘what person would want to be with me because of this?', because it makes me a little different," Kent said. "This whole experience has honestly changed my perspective and outlook on life. That’s completely because of him because of how he’s looked at me and treated me."
Later in the episode, Kent became emotional when hearing her brother, Harrison, speak.
“Daisy told me that there’s still moments with her hearing that doesn’t sound necessarily right," Graziadei explained. "Her brother’s voice — she never fully heard it the same way until now."
In another scene, Kent spoke to her father, Brandon, about her fears of fully giving her heart to Graziadei. She jokingly dismissed potential heartache as something she would get through by saying, "It's not like I'm going deaf again!"
Kent's hearing loss
Earlier this season, Kent opened up to Graziadei about the health issues she experienced during her teen years, which resulted in profound hearing loss.
“A life with me is probably going to look a little different than with any other girl in the house,” Kent told Graziadei. “The reason I can communicate with you the way I can is because I have a cochlear implant.”
Although her summary of her health hurdles was brief during her date with Graziadei, Kent spoke to CBS News in August 2023 about how she began losing her hearing when she was 15.
"It started as a lot of high-pitched ringing and then just progressively got worse, and I couldn't understand speech very well," she said of losing her hearing. "It was very isolating."
At 17, Kent was diagnosed with Ménière's disease, an inner ear disorder. After trying hearing aids, Kent began researching cochlear implants.
"I was going and looking for people who had them, and I was joining support groups on Facebook, and people were writing about it and sharing their experience with me, but didn't see anyone going through the process," Kent told CBS.
Kent's parents encouraged her to begin sharing her experience and documenting her cochlear implant journey on social media. A video of her implant activation from May 2023 currently has more than 12.5 million views on TikTok. She now has a combined following of more than 200,000 on social media and has written her own children's book called "Daisy Doo and All The Sounds She Knew" that follows a little girl with a cochlear implant.
What is Ménière's disease?
Ménière disease, also known as idiopathic endolymphatic hydrops, is a rare inner ear condition that affects balance and hearing. According to the Cleveland Clinic, Ménière's disease is caused by a buildup of endolymph a fluid in the part of the inner ear that controls balance. In advanced cases, Ménière's disease can result in permanent hearing loss.
What are the symptoms of Ménière's disease?
Symptoms of Meniere's disease can include:
vertigo (dizziness, spinning sensation)
tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
hearing loss
feeling pressure in the ear or "full" feeling in the ear"
Less common symptoms can include:
headaches
abdominal pain
nausea
Can Lyme disease cause Ménière's disease?
During her one-on-one date with Graziadei, Kent said that she travelled to Germany for treatment for Lyme disease.
Kent connected the two diagnoses in her interview with CBS, however it's still unclear what causes Ménière's disease. Healthlink BC notes that a autoimmune disorders can increase your risk.
Other risk factors can include:
family history of Ménière's disease
head or ear injury
allergies
viral infection of the inner ear
How do you treat Ménière's disease?
There is currently no cure for Ménière's disease, but there are treatments to hep with symptoms of the disorder.
Treatments can include:
diuretic medications (to remove excess fluid from the body)
medications to reduce nausea
steroid injections in the inner ear to reduce pressure
In more severe cases, doctors may recommend surgery like a labyrinthectomy to remove the labyrinth of the ear and improve balance. Although beneficial in improving vertigo, it does result in a total loss of hearing.
Other treatment options include a vestibular nerve section to preserve hearing and treat vertigo or a endolymphatic sac surgery to decompress inner ear fluid.
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