Theresa May Shares Emotional Diabetes Story In Malta’s Parliament Calls For Global Action
Former UK Prime Minister Theresa May delivered a powerful and deeply personal address in Malta’s Parliament on Saturday, opening up about her own diabetes diagnosis as she urged parliaments around the world to boost awareness and access to life-saving technology.
May was speaking at the Global Parliamentary Champions for Diabetes conference, which gathered parliamentarians from across the globe to discuss the growing diabetes crisis. She is set to receive the Global Parliamentary Advocacy Award later today as reported by Times of Malta.
Beginning her speech, May recalled being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes back in 2012, at a time when she was serving as Home Secretary and overseeing security for the London Olympics.
“Despite knowing the symptoms of diabetes, when I started to lose weight, became tired, and was constantly thirsty, I just thought it was the stress of that year,” she said, adding that it was only through sheer “luck” that tests taken after a bad cough revealed the real cause.
She stressed how crucial awareness is to ensure no cases go undiagnosed.
“I had to come to terms with this in a very stressful job. In fact, my blood sugar always went up before taking questions,” she said.
May also highlighted the importance of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) for people living with diabetes, sharing how she began using the FreeStyle Libre.
“The technology has changed the way we deal with our diabetes significantly. I was a little bit surprised when a member of the Scottish National Party wanted to have a long chat. But he told me that his daughter has contracted type 1 diabetes, and she wanted to know about the FreeStyle Libre,” she said.
“I think it’s important that people know. I wasn’t sure whether I should go public about it, but then I thought, what if someone catches the home secretary injecting themselves? They might wonder what I might be doing? So, I thought it would be best to come out publicly with this.”
After she shared her diagnosis publicly, more MPs did the same.
May also recalled meeting US President Donald Trump while wearing a sleeveless evening dress, with her CGM visible on her arm, a moment that ended up encouraging other women with diabetes to ask their doctors about the device.
May, who served as a UK MP from 1996 to 2024, went on to become Home Secretary (2010–2016) and Prime Minister (2016–2019). She now sits in the House of Lords. Her speech in Malta’s Parliament ended with a standing ovation.
Nationalist Party MP Claudette Buttigieg shared her own experience as a parent, saying:
“I still remember my daughter telling me, ‘Oh look mum, she’s got [a CGM], when are we getting ours?’ I’m very grateful because eventually our children began wearing it. But there’s still a long way to go.”
Professor Gauden Galea, formerly of the World Health Organisation, warned about the alarming global rise in diabetes.
“Diabetes is not just a problem of one sector, but it is a problem of all sectors. Since 1990, diabetes has quadrupled in size,” he said, noting that it has surpassed 828 million worldwide.
He stressed that affordable and accessible care is essential, especially in crises:
“We must look at diabetes in the context of humanitarian crisis and emergencies,” he said, pointing out that vulnerable people “will die first” when treatment is unavailable.
48,000 people in Malta live with diabetes
According to the International Diabetes Federation, around 48,000 people aged 20 to 70 in Malta are living with diabetes.
Speaker of the House Anglu Farrugia described the situation as a “slow-moving epidemic,” emphasising the need for education and calling for restrictions on unhealthy products being sold locally.
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