As Ellen DeGeneres bids farewell to her talk show after 19 seasons, she’s reflecting on her wild ride—and it’s not all sunshine and laughter. Recently, the 64-year-old revealed she faced “excruciating” back pain after catching COVID-19 during the pandemic

.Stepping back from the limelight amid toxic workplace claims, Ellen has turned her focus to animal conservation, wrapping up a project with the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund in Rwanda. But in a surprising twist, she took to social media to share her unexpected battle with back pain as a COVID symptom.“I had no idea!” she exclaimed.

Ellen was following all safety protocols when she tested positive in December 2020. Just a week later, she announced she was feeling “100%,” but then dropped a bombshell: severe back pain wasn’t something anyone had warned her about.“Who would’ve thought?” she pondered aloud.

Back when COVID first hit, the CDC didn’t list back pain as a symptom. Instead, folks were on the lookout for fever, cough, and fatigue. The NHS pointed out that many people were already dealing with aches before getting sick, thanks to being less active.