GMB star John Stapleton reveals Parkinson’s diagnosis after wife’s tragic death
GOOD Morning Britain presenter John Stapleton has revealed that he’s been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
The broadcaster, 78, appeared on This Morning Live on Monday alongside his son Nick to reveal the health news.
In the segment, Nick shared: “Over the last year, I’ve started to notice that dad was seeming a bit more anxious, wasn’t walking as confidently and he had this tremor in his hand.
“So two months ago, he went for some tests and unfortunately a few days later he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.”
He continued: “It was deeply troubling news.”
John then appeared on camera and I’ve learnt my living for the best part of 50 years, it’s very frustrating at times when someone says to you ‘sorry, what did you say’ and you have to repeat it yourself time and time again.
I’m fairly pragmatic of the prospect of this getting worse, I try to remain positive because what’s the point of not being.
Nick admitted that the diagnosis did not come as a surprise because John’s mother also had Parkinson’s in the years before she died.
John recalled some of the initial symptoms his mother experienced when she was first diagnosed – including the “inability to open a can of beans or to peel a potato”.
“I’m having the same problem to an extent myself,” he said.
“In the end, she was locked in her own house, her lifestyle changed dramatically and suppose mine will too.”
Everything you need to know about Parkinson’s
Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological condition, meaning that it causes problems in the brain and gets worse over time.
It affects around 153,000 people in the UK.
People with Parkinson’s don’t have enough of the chemical dopamine because some of the nerve cells that make it have stopped working.
This can cause a range of more than 40 symptoms, but the three main ones are:
- Tremor (shaking)
- Slow movement
- Rigidity (muscle stiffness)
Other common signs include:
- Mild memory and thinking problems
- Trouble sleeping
- Issues with balance
- Pain
- Anxiety and depression
- Shuffling walk with very small steps
- Difficulty making facial expressions
- Loss of sense of smell
- Problems peeing
- Constipation
The four main ways of managing Parkinson’s include medication, staying active, exploring occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech and language therapy, and monitoring symptoms.
Source: Parkinson’s UK and NHS
Nick said he now standing in his father’s shoes, anticipating how he will support him through his Parkinson’s disease.
“I’m finding it difficult to navigate conversations with dad about the reality of what support he might need in the next few years.
“The most extreme situation in my mind, is what to do if can’t live on his own anymore.”
Nick said the idea of talking to his father about moving into a care home is “scary” because it’s the “last thing he would want”.
“I don’t want to patronise him but I am worried, mum died four years ago and he lives alone,” Nick shared.
“If his symptoms get worse, we’re going to need a plan.”
Nick admitted he will have to have difficult conversations with his father – but said it’s “early days, dad is still pretty independent”.
He added: “I want to start these conversations now to get some potentially difficult topics out in the open.”
John opened up about his symptoms saying he was experiencing “continuous exhaustion and lack of energy”.
“It’s a classic symptom of Parkinson’s apparently, I’m going to keep taking the tablets and hope it gets better,” he said.
Nick admitted it’s been hard seeing his father “decline” as they plan “sensibly” for the future.
“I want to remain as independent as I can for as long as I can,” John went on.
“I’d be very reluctant to leave the house, I may have to come to the decision with your help…but I want to stay where I am.
“There may be some practical aspects that may become more difficult, like the stairs, the stairs is a problem now.
“I would definitely have a stairlift instead of moving out of the house.”
“I would be willing to go into care reluctantly. I would try and cling on for as long as possible but I am a realist,” he added.
“It’s going to be a bit of a struggle, it won’t be the life it was a year ago.”
John’s wife and former BBC Watchdog presenter Lynn Faulds Wood sadly passed away in April 2020, at the age of 72 after a stroke.
She and her husband John Stapleton became a dream team TV couple as they presented Watchdog together between 1985 and 1993.
John is best known for his work presenting and reporting on ITV breakfast television including TV-am, GMTV and Daybreak.
He is also famous for presenting Watchdog for the BBC alongside his late wife Lynn.
What TV shows has John Stapleton appeared on?
John joined BBC Nationwide in 1975 as a reporter, and then became one of the main hosts from 1977 until 1980.
From 1980 until 1983, he was reporting from trouble spots such as the Middle East and El Salvador as a correspondent on the BBC’s Panorama and Newsnight programmes.
From 1983 to 1985, he worked at TV-am as presenter of Good Morning Britain.
In 1986, John rejoined the BBC, where he presented the popular consumer programme Watchdog until 1993, alongside his late wife Lynn Faulds Wood.
In 1993, Stapleton returned to ITV to host live morning talk show The Time, The Place, and for four years he presented My Favourite Hymns.
In 1998, he then joined ITV breakfast programme GMTV as a presenter of Newshour.
In 2010, John joined Daybreak as their Special Correspondent and then onto Good Morning Britain where he remained until July 2015.
He still works in broadcasting, standing in for other radio presenters on LBC, appears on TV as a pundit for the BBC News Channel, and writes for newspapers.