‘I thought I had a degenerative disease’: Lewis Capaldi says Tourette’s diagnosis was ‘a weight off his mind’ after fearing he was seriously unwell
Lewis Capaldi has admitted being diagnosed with Tourette’s was a ‘weight off his mind’ – because he feared he was suffering from a ‘degenerative disease’.
The Scottish musician, 26, revealed he had the neurological condition – which is characterised by a combination of involuntary noises and movements called tics – last month after being diagnosed ‘seven or eight months ago’.
The Hold Me While You Wait hitmaker said that learning he had Tourette’s was ‘quite a relief’ and his is now embracing his new role as ‘poster boy’ for the condition.
‘It was quite a relief’: Lewis Capaldi has admitted being diagnosed with Tourette’s was a ‘weight off his mind’ – because he feared he was suffering from a ‘degenerative disease’
Appearing on Saturday’s forthcoming episode of The Jonathan Ross Show, he said: ‘ I do have Tourette’s. I didn’t mean for it to be a big thing. I twitch a lot.
‘My left shoulder goes up and I do this with my head. Now I am the poster boy for Tourette’s. I’ll take it, I’ll gladly accept that.
‘It was seven or eight months ago [that I was diagnosed]. I thought I had a degenerative disease. So to be told it was in fact that I have Tourette’s, as you can imagine, was quite a relief. It’s fine. Everything works.
‘I thought I was quite alone in being twitchy. It’s been a relief and, if anything, nice to know I have a community. I’m quite an anxious person, I really start to overthink things if something’s wrong – this was a weight off my mind.’
‘I twitch a lot’: The Scottish musician, 26, revealed he had the neurological condition – characterised by a combination of involuntary noises and movements called tics – last month
WHAT IS TOURETTE’S SYNDROME?
Tourette’s syndrome is a neurological condition characterised by a combination of involuntary noises and movements called tics.
It usually starts during childhood and continues into adulthood. Tics can be either be vocal or physical.
In many cases Tourette’s syndrome runs in families and it’s often associated with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Tourette’s syndrome is named after the French doctor, Georges Gilles de la Tourette, who first described the syndrome and its symptoms in the 19th century.
There’s no cure for Tourette’s syndrome, but treatment can help to control the symptoms.
Source: NHS Choices
Lewis admitted his condition can ‘really affect my performance’, but his tics come in ‘ebbs and flows’ – and he tends to notice the effects of Tourette’s less if he takes care of himself with regular exercise and a healthy lifestyle.
He told host Jonathan Ross, 61, on the ITV chat show: ‘It definitely gets worse sometimes on stage. Sometimes it can really affect my performance.
‘It ebbs and flows. If I look after myself, exercise, go to the gym – which is the same thing by the way – if I don’t drink too much or take a walk in the park and breathe in a nice summer’s air. I f***ing hate commitment. I’m a loose guy.’
The singer-songwriter revealed he had Tourette’s last month, and said he wanted people to know about the condition so fans didn’t think his twitches were down to cocaine use.
He said: ‘I have been diagnosed with Tourette’s. I wanted to speak about it because I didn’t want people to think I was taking cocaine or something.
‘My shoulder twitches when I am excited, happy, nervous or stressed. It is something I am living with. It is not as bad as it looks.
‘It’s a new thing. I haven’t really learnt much about it. I got Botox in my shoulder to stop it moving but I’m learning new ways to cope all the time.
‘Some days it’s more painful than others, sometimes it’s quite uncomfortable but I guess that’s it.
‘When they told me, “We think you’ve got Tourette’s”, I was like, “Do you know what? That makes so much sense. When I look back at my interviews from 2018 I can see that I’m doing it.’
Appearing on Saturday’s forthcoming episode of The Jonathan Ross Show, he said: ‘ I do have Tourette’s. I didn’t mean for it to be a big thing. I twitch a lot’
The hitmaker later took to his Instagram to post a light-hearted video wearing underpants, and told others who suffer from the neurological condition to ‘gaze upon their leader’.
He laughed: ‘I told everyone I had Tourette’s and people on Twitter were being really nice. They were saying, “What a great thing for someone with his profile to talk about it and be open and spread awareness, he’d be a great ambassador”.
‘Well, gaze upon your ambassador, people with Tourette’s. Hello I am your leader.’
During his pre-recorded appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show, Lewis also performed his new single Forget Me and discussed moving out of his parents’ house, which he described as ‘f**ing horrible’.
Talented: Lewis (pictured on stage in London last month) admitted his condition can ‘really affect my performance’, but said his tics come in ‘ebbs and flows’
Adding that fellow musician Ed Sheeran suggested the property he eventually bought, Lewis explained: ‘He [Ed] sent me this email – we became quite close over lockdown – and said, “This place looks brilliant”.
‘It looked beautiful, sprawling hills, farmhouse aesthetic. I moved there and I was blinded by the outside of it. The interior wasn’t up to scratch. I thought I could change that.
‘I moved in. It was an absolute s*** hole. It smelt of smoke and wet dog, there was a bag of live frogs in the cupboard! I don’t know what they were there for, some weird sex thing… it was a bit f***ing weird.
‘So I’ve moved out. So Ed Sheeran, wherever you are, you owe me money.’
Forthcoming hit: During his pre-recorded appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show, Lewis also performed his new single Forget Me
Lewis added: ‘I have found another house in Glasgow. It’s lovely and there are no live swampy creatures of any kind in any of the cupboards and believe me I checked.’
The musician also spoke about his love life, confirming he is single and has been on dating app Hinge for the past seven months.
He said: ‘I’m single, I’m on Hinge. Seven months [I’ve been on there].I’ve knocked some boots in my time. Sweet love making.’
The musician’s parting shot in the interview was aimed at new Prime Minster Liz Truss, quipping: ‘Me and Liz Truss have a lot in common, I also would make an awful Prime Minister.’
Lewis was joined on The Jonathan Ross show by Lioness and Euros legend Chloe Kelly, astronaut Tim Peake, comedian Romesh Ranganathan and comedy actress and writer Daisy May Cooper.
The Jonathan Ross Show airs on Saturday at 10pm on ITV and ITV Hub.
Talent: Lewis was joined by (L-R) Lioness Chloe Kelly, comedy actress Daisy May Cooper, comedian Romesh Ranganathan and astronaut Tim Peake (not pictured)
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