HUGO Swire joined ITV’s celebrity GP, ITV’s Dr Chris Steele and chef Phil Vickery in Parliament last week to back a campaign by Coeliac UK.

Also joined by Dot Taylor, who is the Campaign Manager for the Coeliac UK Local Volunteer Group for East Devon and Exeter, they called for better diagnosis and awareness of the disease.

Coeliac disease affects 1 in 100 people but only one in eight have been diagnosed.

The disease is a gluten intolerance that can lead to infertility, multiple miscarriages, osteoporosis and bowel cancer.

Hugo Swire MP said: “By testing patients for coeliac disease who present with the common symptoms of the condition, GPs could not only alleviate the suffering that individuals currently experience and reduce repeat visits from patients with unresolved symptoms, but also save the NHS money in the long run.”