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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Entertainment
Dominique Hines

Jonathan Ross says daughter Betty is wheelchair-bound in health battle

Jonathan Ross has said that his daughter Betty, 30, is in a wheelchair and has had a "tough couple of years".

The 62-year-old talk show host has opened up about Betty’s depression as she battles a string of debilitating illnesses, which have forced to use an electric wheelchair.

Speaking on Loose Women he told hosts Kaye Adams, Frankie Bridge, Dame Kelly Holmes and Denise Welch: “She has fibromyalgia and she has chronic fatigue syndrome and POTS syndrome as well, which is where your heart rate shoots up.

“She still can’t walk very far.

Ross and children Honey Kinny, Betty Kitten and Harvey Kirby in 2009 (Getty Images)

"We got her an electric wheelchair in the summer, so we can at least go out and go for walks with the dogs and that’s lifted her spirits a lot.”

Explaining how Betty’s inability to walk around has affected the family, he explained: "If anyone out there who knows or who’s got someone with a long term illness, you know, it’s the depression.

"Being stuck indoors and not being able to join in with things because even stairs are a challenge to her.

"So if we’re going out we have to give her plenty of time to get ready, get downstairs and then have a rest before we go to the next step, you know."

Ross and his wife also share daughter Honey Kinny and son Harvey Kirby. (getty)

Ross did share the hopeful news, however, that Betty was responding well to treatment.

He said: “There’s a thing called the Perrin treatment.

"The guy who invented it, he came to talk to me about it and she looked it up online because she’s a smart young woman, so she has to want to do the treatment.

"I can’t just say to her ‘try this, try that’ if she thinks it’s wrong in some way and if she’s not going to enter it one hundred percent, of course it’s not worth doing.

"But we’ve been having that treatment going on and she’s definitely showing some improvement and feeling better in herself. So we’re relieved and we’re happy with that.”

Ross, shares Betty with wife Jane Goldman, along with daughter Honey Kinny and son Harvey Kirby.

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