Singer Lewis Capaldi visited a university to test out a new Tourette's device ahead of one of his gigs - before offering staff free tickets to see him perform. The Scots star, who recently opened up about being diagnosed with the syndrome, tried out the gadget, which is aimed at reducing tics at University of Nottingham.
Lewis, 26, was performing that night on his worldwide tour at the city's Motorpoint Arena and popped in to visit the research team last Friday (January 27). And he was said to be so impressed by the Neupulse device, which is worn on the wrist like a watch, that he invited all the staff to his concert that night.
Professor Stephen Jackson who has led the research, said the results for Lewis had proved 'remarkable'. He said: "Lewis stated that the stimulation made him feel calmer and the device clearly suppressed the head and shoulder tics which can be quite painful for him.
“Though the Neupulse device is still early in development, the preliminary results of our UK-wide double-blind clinical trial have been extremely encouraging. This device has the potential to dramatically improve the lives of those with Tourette syndrome, who often face challenges managing their tics, by providing increased control over their tics on demand.”
Prof Jackson, from the university's School of Psychology, also told the BBC: "He was also very kind to the research team, taking the time for selfies and photographs with the team. He also very generously invited the whole team to his Friday night concert in Nottingham."
The revolutionary new wearable device aims to reduce tics by intercepting signals to the brain and sending electrical stimulation to the nerves in the wrist. The singer, who has amassed over two billion streams of his hit Someone You Loved, heard about the device and asked his manager to arrange a trial.
He revealed his shock Tourette’s diagnosis to world back in September, saying he has Botox injections in his shoulder to control tics. Lewis also recently addressed the condition while performing on stage telling fans: "I have Tourette's, I've always had it, apparently.
"I do the shoulder twitch quite a lot. And you see underneath every TikTok and stuff, people are like, 'why is he twitching?', which is fine. Curiosity is fine."
