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Nick Jonas' life 'changed dramatically' when he was diagnosed with diabetes.

The Jealous singer discovered he had the Type 1 form of the condition when he was just 13 years old. Nearly a decade later, the star is joining a new non-profit organisation working to educate people on the autoimmune disease.

'Nearly ten years ago my life changed dramatically when I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes,' he said in a statement posted on Beyond Type 1's Instagram page. 'Since then, I learned how to manage and live well with this disease and made it my mission to speak openly about it with the hope of helping others deal with the struggles of managing diabetes in their own life.(sic)'

Beyond Type 1 hopes to create a community for suffers of both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes to share their stories and get advice. Nick knows from past experience that talking about the condition can raise ignorant questions from people who have not been educated about how it occurs and understands the need for better resources to be provided.

'When I share my personal story, the questions I most often hear are, "What did you eat that gave you diabetes?" or "Does that mean you were lazy as a kid?" Although it's been difficult to deal with the misinformation out there, I always found a way to not let the lack of knowledge surrounding diabetes affect me,' he continued. 'I can't do that any longer. Sometimes, something happens in your life and you wonder what good can come of it ' these stories will surprise some people and they are meant to. We need to eradicate the stigma that comes from having a chronic illness.'