Melanie Sykes diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome, two years after finding out she is autistic
Melanie Sykes has revealed she has been diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome.
The 52-year-old TV and radio presenter was diagnosed with autism in 2021.
She told Alan Carr about her new diagnosis on his podcast Life’s A Beach.
She said: “I am wired a completely different way and I’m only just understanding it.
“Where I used to think ‘what’s wrong with me?’ now I know it’s everything that’s right with me.”
Celebrities including Lewis Capaldi and Billie Eilish have opened up about living with Tourette’s.
Capaldi first spoke about his condition last year, saying “it’s not a big a deal” but that some days are “more painful than others”.
After losing his voice on stage at Glastonbury – and having the crowd back him up by singing – he announced a break from touring.
Read more:
Understanding Tourette’s: What is it and how does it affect people?
Latest NHS news
Lewis Capaldi announced a break from touring last month to deal with his Tourette’s syndrome
Sykes’s diagnosis came up after she asked Carr if she could swear.
“I’ll try not to,” she said, “because I’ve just discovered I have Tourette’s.”
Tourette’s syndrome is a condition that causes a person to make involuntary sounds and movements – these are known as tics.
Physical tics include twitching, blinking and eye rolling, while vocal tics span coughing, whistling and saying random words and phrases.
According to the NHS, unprompted swearing is rare and only affects about one in 10 people with the condition.
Sykes was on Carr’s podcast to discuss her new book, Illuminated: Autism And All The Things I’ve Left Unsaid.
She has previously described her autism diagnosis as “life-affirming”, saying “so many things made sense” afterwards.
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