Jeremy Paxman admitted he “felt a fool” but “greatly enjoyed” a dance class with the English National Ballet. He learned more about Parkinson’s for an ITV documentary.
The host of the University Challenge was diagnosed with the conditiona brain disorder that leads to tremors and mobility problems, in May last year.
A doctor suspected he had the disease after noticing that he wasn’t like thatexuberant and exuberant’ on the screen, leading them to believe his face had taken on a “Parkinson’s mask.”
The announcer was in hospital after he collapsed while with his Spaniel-Dalmation crotch when the doctor diagnosed him as “completely out of the blue.”
In Paxman: Putting Up with Parkinson’s, the former Newsnight host reflects on how Parkinson’s affects him and meets other famous people living with the disease.
The 72-year-old is also taking a ballet class with other people with Parkinson’s, organized by the English National Ballet.
A voiceover says studies have shown that dance builds “fluidity of movement and confidence” in people with Parkinson’s, proving it will be Jeremy’s first-ever ballet class.
After throwing some shapes in the class, which has been running since 2010, Jeremy thought back to the session with other dancers, with one saying they found it empowering.
Another student said it allowed them to “forget for an hour” that they had been diagnosed.
Jeremy admitted that he had “enjoyed the class very much” and joked, “I thought it would be very embarrassing and it was. I must say I did feel a bit of a fool.’
In the one-time program Jeremy also meets Sharon Osbourne whose husband, Ozzy, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2020.
While discussing remedies, Sharon said CBD oil helps ease Ozzy’s symptoms, while the former X Factor judge joked that she’s “pulling some” out of the United States for Jeremy.
Assuring the presenter that he’ll “love it,” she adds, “I’ll bring it back for you, Jeremy. I’ll probably be arrested when I get through customs, but that’s nothing new.’
Jeremy then declares to the 69-year-old, “I’m going for it!”
Paxman: Putting Up With Parkinson’s is available to stream on ITV Hub.
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