Sonia Rykiel Has Battled Parkinson’s For The Past 15 Years

In her new book N'oubliez Pas Que Je Joue (Don't Forget I'm Playing), 81-year-old designer Sonia Rykiel reveals that she's been battling Parkinson's disease, a degenerative disorder that causes shaking, among other things, for the last fifteen years.

"I didn't want to show my pain. I resisted, I hesitated, I tried to be invisible, to pretend that nothing was wrong," Rykiel writes. According to WWD, Sonia has had to disguise her symptoms (including never being photographed with the cane she uses) until they've recently become more severe. Sonia's daughter, Nathalie (Sonia famously designed her first sweater when pregnant with her) has been heading up the creative team at Sonia Rykiel since 1995. (WWD)