Jennie Garth's Six Months Of 'Hell'

JENNIE GARTH faced every mother's worst nightmare when her daughter LOLA went down with a mysterious illness, leaving doctors clueless as to her ailment.

Garth had just finished her stint on U.S. TV show Dancing With The Stars earlier this year (08) when her five-year-old daughter was hospitalised.

Shortly afterwards, the star's father died - and she insists both experiences took their toll on her body.

She tells People.com, "I had this six months of hell. I had a sick daughter and then my father passed away, so there was a six-month period in my life when I didn't think about my looks or my weight or my body or anything.

"(Lola) got very sick and we didn't know what was wrong with her... I was basically locked in a closet with her for three months.

"I didn't exercise or eat healthy. I had been a (size) 27 in my jeans after Dancing With The Stars and I was so excited. But it really went back quickly. I definitely gained inches and a size."

Garth, who is now starring in 90210, says her daughter is now recovering after doctors finally made a diagnosis: "It turned out to be a form of JRA (Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis) and we treated her and it's in remission. It was tough, but she's better now."