Rodriguez feels blessed to be diagnosed with thyroid disorder

London: Actress Gina Rodriguez believes being diagnosed with Hashimoto's Disease, a thyroid disorder, was a "blessing" as she can raise awareness of living with the disease.

The "Jane The Virgin" star has been very open about her battle with Hashimoto's Disease and says she is proud to be raising awareness of living with it, reported Female First.

"If I can at least walk for 20 minutes a day, it's extremely helpful for my thyroid gland. Running, boxing, jump rope and hitting the heavy bag are my workout constants," she said.

"It's always been a battle for me with weight. Keeping weight off is difficult because my metabolism is pretty much shot, which to me felt like a curse when I was 19. As an actress, I would say, 'Seriously? In a world that's so vain, I have to deal with the disease that makes you not keep weight off?' But it actually became a blessing because then I got to represent not only women and Latinas but also women who are dealing with this disease."