Lewis Capaldi reveals he has Tourette's and says diagnosis makes 'so much sense'
7 September 2022, 15:18
Singer Lewis Capaldi has revealed he has Tourette's syndrome and says his diagnosis has come as a "relief".
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
The Scottish singer, 25, told fans in an Instagram Live that he has received Botox treatment in his shoulder to help control his tics.
He said when doctors first told him he has the condition, it made "so much sense".
Capaldi said he was relieved to discover he has the condition as he originally feared he might have a degenerative disease.
The Someone You Loved singer explained he is still learning about the condition, which causes a person to make involuntary sounds and movements called tics.
He said his diagnosis is quite new, but he has received Botox injections in his shoulder to alleviate the tics and that "worked for a bit".
"I have Tourette's. I've always had that apparently... so I do a shoulder twitch quite a lot," he told followers.
Read more: Jane Fonda, 84, reveals she has cancer after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
"When I look back at my interviews from like 2018, I can see that I'm doing it.
"But it comes and goes. I'll go sometimes months without doing it.
"I thought I had some horrible degenerative disease so I'll take Tourette's."
Capaldi, who is days away from releasing his new single Forget Me, said he was sharing his diagnosis after he had seen people question whether he was taking cocaine before going on stage.
He said: "Do you think before I play to 20,000 people as an anxious person I'm going to take a big line of cocaine? Never going to happen."
The 25-year-old, who sings Before You Go, said the triggers for the condition can be frustrating, as he gets them when he is excited, stressed and happy.
He said that "some days it's more painful than others", but it "looks a lot worse than it is".
Tourette's usually starts during childhood, but the tics and other symptoms usually improve after several years and sometimes go away completely, according to the NHS website.
There's no cure for Tourette's syndrome, but treatment can help manage symptoms.
