Former Strictly Come Dancing star Jamie Laing is living with an incurable medical condition that “really interferes with every day life”.
The Made in Chelsea star was diagnosed with tinnitus, a condition that affects more than seven million Britons.
Back in 2020, in an interview with the Daily Mail, Jaime – who appears on Celebrity Catchphrase tonight (January 8) opened up about the condition.
Jaime Laing on incurable health condition
The 31-year-old star went into detail about how he realised he was suffering from tinnitus, and how it affects his day-to-day life.
Jamie spoke about how one day he could hear an annoying, high-pitched buzzing sound when he woke up one day. He said he spent ages searching for it, only for him to realise the sound was coming from inside his own head.
Read more: Strictly’s Jamie Laing reveals fiancée Sophie ‘turned blue’ and ‘nearly died’ in hospital dash
Jamie revealed that once he noticed the sound, he continued to hear it. The sound got so annoying that he took himself to see a GP, who diagnosed the star with tinnitus.
What is tinnitus?
Tinnitus is the sensation of hearing a sound that isn’t caused by an external source.
It affects over seven million Brits, and every case is different.
Some people can hear whooshing, others hear ringing, buzzing, humming, and some even hear the sound of a jet engine.
The condition can potentially be debilitating.
How did Jamie Laing react to the news?
Jamie then learned that tinnitus is incurable, however, there is hope for the star. He revealed that his doctor told him that the condition will probably go away eventually.
In fact, tinnitus will go away for the vast majority of those who suffer from it. However, it’s estimated that around 0.5% of Britons (320,000) will suffer from persistent tinnitus.
The star’s doctor believed Jamie had likely developed the condition due to him being exposed to loud music often.
“At first I couldn’t believe I could have tinnitus, I thought it only affected older people or people who were exposed to loud bangs — but it’s more common than people think.
“I’d been to festivals and concerts and listened to music on headphones — the louder the better when I was younger,” he said.
He expressed regret that he hadn’t worn earplugs at festivals or concerts. He said that he wished he had done so now.
How did tinnitus affect the star?
Jamie has suffered from the condition for four years now and revealed that it has made him feel depressed and anxious at times.
“At its worst, it really interfered with every day life. Listening to the TV and having conversations was difficult and I struggled at work, too. The more you think about it the worse it gets until the tinnitus almost becomes deafening,” he revealed.
Jamie said that the first six months after his diagnosis were tough. He said that he used to listen to white noise to help him sleep, and various points didn’t know how he was going to get through it.
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“It gets louder if I’m tired, stressed, or anxious and so I have to manage all that, but I’m getting better at it,” he said.
Jamie also said that he has cut out caffeine, which made him anxious, and wears earplugs when he goes to nightclubs and festivals now.
He said that the thing that has got him through this is knowing it all gets better. He said that hearing that from the doctor made him less anxious about his condition.
You can catch Jamie on Catchphrase on tonight (January 8) at 6pm on ITV and ITV Hub.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgErF2_koZ4&ab_channel=PrivateParts
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