Sam Milby on Living With Diabetes at 42: ‘Giving Up Isn’t an Option’
SAM MILBY – Kapamilya actor and singer Sam Milby has opened up about how close he came to abandoning his fitness routine after learning he has diabetes, in a candid Instagram post that made the rounds on Wednesday, October 28, 2026.
Showing off his toned physique in the post, the 42-year-old star admitted that the diagnosis hit his motivation hard. “When I found out I had diabetes, I was really discouraged. At 42, I almost gave up on my fitness journey,” Sam wrote.
He said he soon realized that quitting was not the answer. “But I realized giving up isn’t an option. I just need to keep fighting,” he added.
The actor closed his message on a hopeful note, making it clear he sees his condition as a challenge rather than a stopping point. “Despite the challenges, I choose to live my best life. And I’m just starting,” Sam said, punctuating the line with a flexed-arm emoji.
Sam has been open about his health for some time. He first spoke about being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2024, saying the news surprised him because he had always seen himself as a healthy person. Further medical tests later showed that he actually has latent autoimmune diabetes in adults, or LADA, which he disclosed publicly on October 30, 2025.
LADA, sometimes called type 1.5 diabetes, is an autoimmune form of the disease that develops in adulthood. It shares traits of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and while it can look like type 2 at first, it is progressive and many patients eventually need insulin treatment.
That makes his decision to stay in the gym all the more meaningful to followers who live with the same condition. For people managing diabetes, regular exercise is part of keeping blood sugar under control, and Sam’s post served as a reminder that a diagnosis does not have to mean the end of an active lifestyle.
The post struck a chord because Sam did not pretend the journey was easy. Instead of presenting a picture-perfect transformation, he admitted to feeling discouraged first, an honest take on the emotional side of living with a chronic illness that many people quietly share.
Sam, who rose to fame through Pinoy Big Brother before becoming one of the most familiar leading men on Philippine television and film, has built a reputation as one of showbiz’s fitness buffs. His latest post shows he intends to keep that image, only now with a more personal reason behind every workout.
For the actor, the message is simple: the condition is part of his life, but it will not decide how he lives it. As he put it himself, he is “just starting.”