Lewis Capaldi has been diagnosed with Tourette syndrome, and he’s opening up so fans understand him better.
Speaking to U.K. outlet The Sun, the “Before You Go” singer said he wanted to address his diagnosis so fans wouldn’t be confused by his tics.
“I have been diagnosed with Tourette’s,” he explained. “I wanted to speak about it because I didn’t want people to think I was taking cocaine or something.”
The Grammy nominee said obtaining a formal diagnosis has been eye-opening. “When they told me, ‘We think you’ve got Tourette’s’, I was like, ‘Do you know what? That makes so much sense,'” he recalled. He added it’s allowed him to look back at old interviews with new understanding.
Lewis outlined the kind of tics he has as well as his triggers. “My shoulder twitches when I am excited, happy, nervous or stressed. It is something I am living with,” he said, adding “It is not as bad as it looks.”
The Scottish singer is also seeking treatment to mitigate the outwardly signs of Tourette’s. “I got Botox in my shoulder to stop it moving but I’m learning new ways to cope all the time..,” he said. “Some days it’s more painful than others, sometimes it’s quite uncomfortable but I guess that’s it.”
Lewis also explained his Tourette’s “comes and goes,” adding he can “go months” without showing signs of it. “I thought I had some horrible degenerative disease so I’ll take Tourette’s,” he joked.
He is not the only singer to come forward about having Tourette syndrome. Billie Eilish opened up about her diagnosis in May on David Letterman‘s Netflix series, My Next Guest Needs No Introduction.
Lewis, who also shared his diagnosis on his Instagram story, releases a new song “Forget Me” and its accompanying music video on Friday.
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