Lewis Capaldi has opened up about how Tourette’s affects him
(Picture: Getty Images for Bauer Media)Lewis Capaldi says he feels like has become the “poster boy” for Tourette's syndrome since revealing his diagnosis last month, but that he’s OK with it.
The 26-year-old Scottish singer opens up about having Tourette’s — a condition of the nervous system which causes people to have “tics” — and the reaction to discussing it online, during an upcoming appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show.
Capaldi told the chat show host: “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.”
Recalling how he first got diagnosed, he said: “It was seven or eight months ago. 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,” he added. “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.”
On whether it affects his performance, Capaldi — who also sings his latest single Forget Me on the show — said: “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 nice summer air... I f***ing hate commitment. I’m a loose guy.”
