Singer Lewis Capaldi has said he has Tourette’s syndrome – revealing the diagnosis came as a relief because he thought he had “some horrible degenerative disease”.
The Glasgow-born star said on Instagram Live “it’s not a big a deal” but that some days are “more painful than others” – and he had been given botox injections to stop the twitching.
Tourette’s syndrome is an inherited, neurological condition which can be characterised by involuntary sounds and movements called tics.
More than 300,000 people in the UK are estimated to have the condition.
Capaldi said: “I have Tourette’s. I’ve always had it, apparently. I do a shoulder twitch quite a lot. It’s a new thing.
“I haven’t really learned much about it. I’m learning. I’ve got botox on my shoulders to stop it moving.”
The 25-year-old talked about when the condition can have an impact and the moment he learned of the diagnosis.
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“The worst thing about it is when I’m excited, I get it,” he said.
“When I’m stressed, I get it. Some days it’s more painful than others. It’s not a big a deal. It looks a lot worse than it is.
“When they told me ‘we think you’ve got Tourette’s’, I was like ‘you know what, that makes so much sense’.
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“It comes and goes. I’ll go sometimes months without doing it.
“I thought I had, like, some horrible degenerative disease, so I’ll take Tourette’s.”
At the end of last week, Capaldi played two sold-out shows at London’s O2 Arena.
