If I had an incurable STI I’m not sure I would be telling a family newspaper about it, but Suzanna Elzbieta, 38, is determined to break the stigma after being diagnosed with herpes at 34.

Suzana, a ‘herpes advocate’ from Canada, says she was driving home from visiting her boyfriend in 2019 when she started feeling ‘uncomfortable’ down there. At first she thought she had a urinary tract infection, but then noticed a ‘razor bump’ blister, and, after a swab, discovered she had herpes simplex virus (HSV2).

Suzana told The Mirror:

‘At first I was devastated but now I’ve learned it’s a little skin issue.

I often tell people my last few years with herpes and of singledom have been my hot girl summer days.’

At first, she thought contracting herpes was a romantic death sentence, but she’s actually been shagging more than ever and living her ‘best sex life yet’. Suzana is now on a mission to remove the shame and stereotype that people with the virus are “dirty” or “sleep around”.

‘People with herpes have to deal with the stigma.

The majority of people with herpes never get symptoms and are asymptomatic.

People attribute it to sleeping around or being dirty, but your body count doesn’t matter at all.

Sometimes it can be caught non-sexually – it’s just skin-to-skin contact.

You can contract a virus at any point when you’re sexually active. Why is a sexual virus any different to a normal one?’

Despite the stigma, Suzanna’s dating life has been largely unaffected… probably because she’s kinda hot?

‘It hasn’t affected my dating life – 99% of people have no issue,’ she said.

I’ve come across people who have it too – you just need to be in a good place with your own status.’

Suzanna is 100% open with her sexual partners about her diagnosis – so that’s good. It’s also more than can be said for her boyfriend (at the time) who gave it to her. Suzanna says she only has ‘mild’ flare ups where a little bump appears every two to three months, which she treats with anti-viral medication.

‘I usually tell the person who I’m dating I have herpes, it’s really common and it’s very easy to work around.

It’s the same as having a cold-sore, you wouldn’t kiss someone with a visible cold sore but you wouldn’t when they didn’t.

I try to make it a two-way conversation as I would want to know their STI status too.’

Well, fair play to Suzanna for making this information about her readily-Googleable in her quest to banish the stigma around herpes. As she says, it’s a lot more common and manageable than you might think, even if it’s not ideal to live with.

Who knows, some people might look at her and think she’s worth catching a dose for? Either way, best to mack up to be on the safe side.

To watch a girl confess to giving STDs to multiple partners without a care in the world, click HERE. Savage stuff.