Former I’m A Celebrity star Melanie Sykes has shut down reports that she has been diagnosed with Tourette’s.
The TV presenter shared the news two years ago that she had been diagnosed with autism in her 50s.
She said at the time: “I am wired a completely different way and I’m only just understanding it.” She also added that the diagnosis had allowed her a “deeper understanding of myself, my life, and the things I have endured”. Melanie’s son Tino is also autistic and was diagnosed at three years old.
I just discovered I have Tourette’s.
Melanie discussed her discovery in further detail on a recent appearance on Alan Carr‘s Life’s A Beach podcast. During the interview, she asked if she could swear and then said: “I’ve just discovered I have Tourette’s.”
Melanie Sykes Tourette’s
52-year-old Melanie has now been forced to clear up the confusion following her comments on the podcast.
Taking to Twitter this afternoon (July 17), she explained that rather than having an official diagnosis of Tourette’s as people had assumed, her own “studies” have caused her to “self identify” with the condition.
Her tweet read: “Hello there. For the record I have NOT been ‘diagnosed’ with Tourette’s. I self identify because of my studies and understanding of the pre existing ‘conditions’ that are hand in hand in some autistic people.”
Hello there. For the record I have NOT been ‘diagnosed’ with Tourettes.
I self identify because of my studies and understanding of the pre existing ‘conditions’ that are hand in hand in some autistic people. Thanks to @KieranRose7 and his insight#truestory— Melanie Sykes (@MsMelanieSykes) July 17, 2023
According to the NHS website, Tourette’s is a condition that causes a person to make involuntary sounds and movements called tics. It is thought to affect over 300,000 people in the UK.
Read more: Melanie Sykes speaks out about arrest for assault on ex-husband for the first time
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