For the past three years Missy Elliot has been absent from the spotlight and now we know why. One of the leading ladies of hip hop has been privately battling Grave’s disease, an autoimmune illness that affects the thyroid. Elliot was diagnosed with the disease in 2008 and she says it affected her motor skills and caused her to experience dizzy spells, lumps in her throat, mood swings, hair loss, a fast heart rate and bulging eyes. The rapper was treated with a combination of radiation and medication and says she is back and feeling better.