Fans of meteorologist Jeriann Ritter have been asking about her health after she appeared to have trouble speaking during recent forecast segments on WHO 13.
Ritter addressed those concerns on social media on Jan. 12, saying that she is feeling good and is receiving medical attention.
“Thank you so much for your concern. I know all of us have stuff going on, but when my greatest joy is talking and it’s becoming harder to do, it’s kind of a bummer right now,” Ritter said in her video post.
Recent forecasts shared on her social media accounts show her voice strained and that she had some difficulty pronouncing some words. Viewers have posted comments of concern dating at least back to the Thanksgiving holiday.
Jeriann Ritter says voice issues may get worse
In a segment on WHO’s “Hello Iowa” on Jan. 14, Ritter said she isn’t receiving good news from medical professionals and that she likely will lose her ability to talk in the future.
She told host Megan Reuther she hopes “neurologists could be like meteorologists and be wrong sometimes.”
Ritter, who works on newscasts at noon and 4 p.m. on WHO, also said she’ll continue to share weather updates on the news for as long as she is able to, simply because she loves doing it.
She also said the challenges have inspired her to listen more and that she was enjoying some weight loss. She told Reuther that she was also experiencing some swallowing issues and was eating more soft foods.
Ritter has been a meteorologist at WHO since 2004 and worked on the morning show until 2022.
Commenters on Facebook and X have responded with an outpouring of support, from sending her prayers to joking that she could start speaking with a Chicagoan accent.
Ritter did not respond to a request for comment.
Lucia Cheng is a service and trending reporter at the Des Moines Register. Contact her at lcheng@gannett.com or 515-284-8132.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Jeriann Ritter thanks viewers for concern after issues with her voice
Reporting by Lucia Cheng, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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