United Kingdom, July 30 -- Lance Bass says getting diabetes was "a blessing in disguise".

The NSYNC singer was first diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes during the COVID pandemic but it was later changed to Type 1.5, otherwise known as latent autoimmune diabetes of adults (LADA) and he believes the disease has made him healthier.

He told TMZ: "You know what, it was actually a blessing to develop diabetes later in life because it has made me super healthy. I feel great, better than I ever have, so hopefully I can encourage people out there to take better care of themselves."

He added a warning: "Kids don't eat all that sugar."

LADA is similar to Type 1 diabetes, where the pancreas stops producing insulin, but develops slowly in adults over ...