ROBBIE Williams has revealed his life-changing health battle for the first time, admitting ‘you’re always looking for the cure.’
The music star said he’s been secretly living with Tourette’s syndrome.
Robbie Williams has revealed his life-changing health battle for the first time, admitting ‘you’re always looking for the cure’
Robbie has battled several addictions since rising to fame
, 51, has claimed that his Tourette’s are ‘intrusive’ while speaking on a podcast about it for the first time.
The music legend starred on the first episode of the new season of Paul Whitehouse and Dr Mine Conkbayir’s podcast I’m ADHD! No You’re Not.
He said: “I’ve just realised that I have Tourettes, but they don’t come out.
“They are intrusive thoughts that happen, I was just walking down the road the other day, and I realised that these intrusive thoughts are inside Tourettes. It just doesn’t come out.
“Not only that, you would think that a stadium full of people professing their love to you would work as (a distraction), but whatever it is inside me cannot hear it. I cannot take it in.”
Robbie admitted on the podcast that he’d recently taken an test, which came back negative.
He said it did however come back with ‘autistic traits,’ including that he’d feel anxiety when leaving his safe space, which is his bed.
Robbie also admitted that he’s still terrified of touring, in the candid chat.
The reality of living with Tourette's syndrome
TOURETTE’S syndrome is a condition that causes a person to make involuntary sounds and movements called tics.
It usually starts during childhood, but the tics and other symptoms often improve after several years, and sometimes go away completely.
There’s no cure for Tourette’s, but treatment can help manage symptoms.
The most common physical tics include:
- Blinking
- Eye rolling
- Grimacing
- Shoulder shrugging
- Jerking of the head or limbs
- Jumping
- Twirling
- Touching objects and other people
Examples of vocal tics include:
- Grunting
- Throat clearing
- Whistling
- Coughing
- Tongue clicking
- Animal sounds
- Saying random words and phrases
- Repeating a sound, word or phrase
- Swearing
Swearing is rare and only affects about 1 in 10 people with Tourette’s.
Some people can control their tics for a short time in certain social situations, like in a classroom.
But this can be tiring, and someone may have a sudden release of tics when they return home.
Aidy Smith, who was diagnosed with Tourette’s aged nine, said these are the most common misconceptions about the condition:
- It is a ‘swearing disease’ characterised by repeated bad language
- People with Tourette’s can’t succeed in the workplace
- It’s impossible to control your tics
- ‘Tourette’s’ is a ‘dirty’ word
- It’s OK to make jokes about the condition because it isn’t serious
Source: NHS and Aidy Smith
