Lewis Capaldi has announced he will be taking a break from touring "for the foreseeable future," saying he is "still learning to adjust to the impact of my Tourette's". The Scottish superstar performed at Glastonbury Festival over the weekend, but struggled with his voice due to the condition.
The 26-year-old appeared visibly emotional while playing on the Pyramid Stage on Saturday (June 24). He told the crowd: "I’m going to be honest everybody, but I’m starting to lose my voice up here.
"But we’re going to keep going and we’re going to go until the end. I just need you all to sing with me as loud as you can if that’s okay?" The crowd helped him finish in what made for a memorable moment at the festival.
Taking to social media since his set, Capaldi told fans: "I used to be able to enjoy every second of shows like this and I'd hoped three weeks away would sort me out. But the truth is I'm still learning to adjust to the impact of my Tourette's.
"On Saturday it became obvious that I need to spend much more time getting my mental and physical health in order, so I can keep doing everything I love for a long time to come." The star also thanked his "amazing family, friends, team, medical professionals" as he learns to live with Tourette's and the impact it has on his performances.
Earlier this month, Capaldi cancelled all his other commitments in June ahead of the festival at Worthy Farm to allow himself time to rest and recover.
What is Tourette's Syndrome?
The NHS states that Tourette's Syndrome is a neurological condition that causes you to make involuntary movements and sounds, called tics. Tourette's can develop at any age, but mostly before adulthood and its exact cause it not known.
According to Tourette's Action UK, there are more than 300,000 children and adults living with tic disorders in the UK that are usually lifelong. There's no cure for Tourette's syndrome, but treatment can help manage symptoms.
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People with Tourette's syndrome may also have obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or learning difficulties.
Children with Tourette's syndrome may also be at risk of bullying because their tics might single them out.
Symptoms of Tourette's syndrome
People with Tourette's syndrome have a combination of physical and vocal tics. Examples of physical tics include:
- blinking
- eye rolling
- grimacing
- shoulder shrugging
- jerking of the head or limbs
- jumping
- twirling
- touching objects and other people
Examples of vocal tics include:
- grunting
- throat clearing
- whistling
- coughing
- tongue clicking
- animal sounds
- saying random words and phrases
- repeating a sound, word or phrase
- swearing
Swearing is rare and only affects about 1 in 10 people with Tourette's syndrome. Tics are not usually harmful to a person's overall health, but physical tics, such as jerking of the head, can be painful.
Tics can be worse on some days than others. They may be worse during periods of:
- stress
- anxiety
- tiredness
Premonitory sensations
Most people with Tourette's syndrome experience a strong urge before a tic, which has been compared to the feeling you get before needing to itch or sneeze. These feelings are known as premonitory sensations. Premonitory sensations are only relieved after the tic has been carried out.
Examples of premonitory sensations include:
- a burning feeling in the eyes before blinking
- a dry or sore throat before grunting
- an itchy joint or muscle before jerking
Controlling tics
Some people can control their tics for a short while in certain social situations, like in a classroom. It requires concentration, but gets easier with practise.
Controlling tics can be tiring. A person may have a sudden release of tics after a day trying to control them, like after returning home from school. Tics may be less noticeable during activities involving a high level of concentration, such as reading an interesting book or playing sports.
Capaldi first revealed his Tourette Syndrome diagnosis in September. In an Instagram Live video, he explained: "I've always had it apparently.
"I do the shoulder twitch quite a lot and you see underneath every TikTok people are like, 'Why is he twitching?' Which is fine. Curiosity is fine. I get it. The worst thing about it is when I'm excited I get it, when I'm stressed I get it, when I'm happy I get it. It happens all the time."
In Capaldi's Netflix documentary, Lewis Capaldi: How I'm Feeling Now, he said that getting diagnosed "makes complete sense now, when I look back. This twitch became out of control and it was awful. It was absolutely horrific."
In another recent interview, Capaldi said that if he doesn't take a break from preforming he could do "irreparable damage" which could lead to him packing in music for good.
