Melanie Sykes says she believes she has Tourette’s syndrome.
The 52-year-old TV and radio presenter revealed in 2021 that she had been diagnosed with autism.
She spoke to Alan Carr about her Tourette’s 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.
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What is Tourette’s and how does it affect people?
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Sykes’s experience 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.”
After reports she had been diagnosed with the condition, she tweeted after the podcast to say: “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.”
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.
