Lewis Capaldi has shared the news of his Tourette syndrome diagnosis, a neurological disorder that causes involuntary and repetitive movements and sounds.
During an Instagram live, the singer told fans that he initially noted “My shoulder twitches when I am excited, happy, nervous or stressed,” and thought it was “some horrible degenerative disease” before he sought out an official diagnosis, as originally reported by The Guardian.
“It is something I am living with,” he added and also explained that he wanted to tell audiences about the the diagnosis because he “didn’t want people to think I was taking cocaine or something,”
When I look back at my interviews from 2018, I can see that I’m doing it,” he said.
Capaldi has been regularly getting botulinum toxin injections in his shoulder and says that he is “learning new ways to cope all the time.”
Approximately 1.4 million people in the U.S. and 300,000 in the U.K. suffer from the affliction, according to the CDC, including singer Billie Eilish, who revealed in 2018 that she was diagnosed with it as a child. ““I’ve never mentioned [Tourette syndrome] on the internet because nobody thinks I’m deadass [serious],” she wrote on Twitter, “as well as the fact I’ve just never wanted people to think of tourettes every time they think of me.”
Emma McNally, CEO of Tourettes Action, told the Guardian, “Tourette’s affects 1 in 100 school aged children, however the public perception is that it affects only a minority.Lewis Capaldispeaking out about his diagnosis will hopefully encourage others who are in the public eye to do the same.
“The more people who talk about Tourette Syndrome, the more people who share their stories, the better. Being diagnosed can be daunting. Newly diagnosed children need to see successful adults sharing and talking about their diagnosis, it will give them hope for the future.”
