Earlier this summer, Jeremy Paxman announced he'd be stepping down from the BBC show University Challenge after 28 years.
The TV star revealed last year that he'd been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, but at the time his symptoms were reported to be “currently mild”.
He said then: "I can confirm I have recently been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. I am receiving excellent treatment and my symptoms are currently mild.
"I plan to continue broadcasting and writing for as long as they'll have me and have written about my diagnosis in more detail for the June issue of the marvellous Saga Magazine.
"I will not be making any further comment."
After confirming his exit from University Challenge, in a statement on August 16, he said: “I’ve had a blast hosting this wonderful series for nearly 29 years. I’ve been lucky enough to work with an amazing team and to meet some of the swottier brains in the country.
"It gives me hope for the future.”
Jeremy Paxman's first signs of Parkinson's
The 72-year-old journalist only found out he had the disease after he was hospitalised following a painful fall while walking the dog.
Speaking ahead of his BBC2 documentary, Paxman: Putting Up With Parkinson's, Jeremy revealed his doctor spotted his symptoms before he did.
“Well, it was completely out of the blue. I was having a walk in the square across the way. There was ice around and I had the dog with me – the dog was on a lead," Paxman explained.
"The first thing I knew was when somebody was sitting me on a bench. I’d fallen over and I made a terrible mess of my face. I’d gone straight down on my hooter, which, as you can see, is not small. Cuts all over the place. I was a real mess. And when I was in A&E, a doctor walked in and said ‘I think you’ve got Parkinson’s’.
"It turned out that he had been watching University Challenge and had noticed that my face had acquired what’s known as the Parkinson Mask. I wasn’t as effusive and exuberant as normal. I had no idea.”
Jeremy said his decision to quit University Challenge came because he didn't want to "spoil" things for viewers.
“It’ll become obvious that there’s something funny about me – and I mean unusual, not funny funny. So I don’t want to spoil it for them,” he added.
Symptoms of Parkinson's disease
Early Parkinson’s disease falls under two main categories.
One affects a person’s ability to move and leads to motor issues like tremors and rigid muscles.
The other category includes non-motor symptoms such as pain, loss of smell and dementia.
The disease is said to affect people differently with changes tending to come on slowly.
Parkinson’s disease symptoms often get worse over time with new changes occurring frequently.
Parkinson’s impacts a person’s quality of life in a major way.
Alongside the condition other major issues may occur over the course of around 10 years such as dementia or a physical disability.
Other early warning symptoms of Parkinson’s disease include:
- Tremor
- Slowed movement (bradykinesia)
- Rigid muscles
- Impaired posture and balance
- Loss of automatic movements
- Speech changes
- Writing changes.
Shan Nicholas, the interim chief executive of Parkinson’s UK, said: “Parkinson’s is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world, and Jeremy choosing to speak publicly about his diagnosis will do so much to raise awareness of this much misunderstood condition.
“With more than 40 symptoms, Parkinson’s is unpredictable and complex. We are glad that he has been receiving the right treatment to manage his symptoms.
“Getting the right support in place is key to helping people to take control of their lives when they are newly diagnosed.”
Anybody concerned about any new and unusual symptoms they think may be related to Parkinson’s disease are strongly encouraged to speak about it further with their GP.
*Paxman: Putting Up With Parkinson's airs October 4 at 9pm on BBC2
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