• Video
  • Shop
  • Culture
  • Family
  • Wellness
  • Food
  • Living
  • Style
  • Travel
  • News
  • Book Club
  • GMA3: WYNTK
  • Newsletter
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • Terms of Use
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Contact Us
  • © 2025 ABC News
  • Culture

'Bachelorette' star describes being diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder

2:58
JP and Ashley Rosenbaum speak after health scare in exclusive interview
Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images, FILE
ByGMA Team
January 14, 2020, 2:21 PM

Former "Bachelorette" stars Ashley Hebert Rosenbaum and J.P. Rosenbaum are speaking out for the first time about Rosenbaum's harrowing health scare that left him temporarily paralyzed.

"I just burst into tears because I was scared and frustrated," Rosenbaum told ABC News' Adrienne Bankert about his battle with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare neurological disorder.

"I have to tell you, when he burst into tears, I have never seen him cry," added Hebert Rosenbaum. "Never."

Editor’s Picks

'Bachelor' sneak peek: Peter remains conflicted about Hannah

  • Jan 13, 2020

Get a 1st look at 'The Bachelor' premiere episode

  • Jan 02, 2020

The Bachelor premiere recap: Peter Weber’s journey begins with a shocker

  • Jan 07, 2020

The couple, parents to son Fordham Rhys, 5, and daughter Essex Rose, 3, first noticed symptoms in Rosenbaum last month when he was having trouble with basic tasks like carrying a pizza, getting dressed and opening doors.

Related Articles

(MORE: 'Bachelorette' star diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder)

The hardest part for Rosenbaum, he said, was how his then-undiagnosed illness was affecting his kids.

"I can't hug my kids, pick up up my kids, do anything for my kids," Rosenbuam recalled. "I don't want my kids seeing me like this."

Rosenbaum, 42 -- who met Hebert Rosenbaum, 34, during production of the show's seventh season -- was soon diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), where the body's immune system "mistakenly attacks part of its peripheral nervous system," according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

GBS can cause everything from brief weakness to "nearly devastating paralysis," according to the NIH, though most people ultimately recover. The syndrome affects around one person in 100,000 each year, can strike at any age and affects both men and women, according to the NIH.

Related Articles

(MORE: Dad who overcame paralysis surprises daughter with 1st dance on her wedding day)

Rosenbaum said doctors told him he was diagnosed with GBS early enough to be able to make a full recovery. He is currently undergoing physical therapy five days a week.

The couple, who renewed their wedding vows in 2018, said the health scare taught them the true meaning of "in sickness and in health."

"It's never that obvious until you're in sickness and you realize the potential catastrophic effect it can have on a relationship, your family," Rosenbaum said.

Related Topics

  • The Bachelorette

Editor’s Picks

'Bachelor' sneak peek: Peter remains conflicted about Hannah

  • Jan 13, 2020

Get a 1st look at 'The Bachelor' premiere episode

  • Jan 02, 2020

The Bachelor premiere recap: Peter Weber’s journey begins with a shocker

  • Jan 07, 2020

Up Next in Culture—

Ozzy Osbourne announces 'Last Rites' memoir, Save the Chimps collaboration

July 10, 2025

'Love Island' star Cierra Ortega addresses exit after racism allegations surface

July 10, 2025

Child rescued after climbing into a claw machine arcade game

July 10, 2025

US tennis star Amanda Anisimova defeats No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, advances to Wimbledon final

July 10, 2025

Shop GMA Favorites

ABC will receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

Sponsored Content by Taboola

The latest lifestyle and entertainment news and inspiration for how to live your best life - all from Good Morning America.
  • Contests
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Children’s Online Privacy Policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • About Nielsen Measurement
  • Press
  • Feedback
  • Shop FAQs
  • ABC News
  • ABC
  • All Videos
  • All Topics
  • Sitemap

© 2025 ABC News
  • Privacy Policy— 
  • Your US State Privacy Rights— 
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy— 
  • Interest-Based Ads— 
  • Terms of Use— 
  • Do Not Sell My Info— 
  • Contact Us— 

© 2025 ABC News