Lewis Capaldi Has Opened Up About His Tourette’s Syndrome

Whilst you may know of Lewis Capaldi for his hit songs, along with his brilliant sense of humour, the singer has opened up about another part of his life. The 25-year-old has shared for the first time publicly that he has Tourette's Syndrome. On Sept. 6, Capaldi disclosed his neurological condition — which prompts a person to make involuntary sounds and movements, otherwise known as tics. On an Instagram Live with fans, ahead of the release of his new single “Forget Me,” the singer explained that he’s sharing his condition now to avoid being misinterpreted.

With a hint of his classic sense of humour, the singer-songwriter said: “I wanted to speak about it because I didn’t want people to think I was taking cocaine or something.” He then continued to share how Tourette's Syndrome affects him personally: “My shoulder twitches when I am excited, happy, nervous, or stressed… It is something I am living with. It’s not as bad as it looks.”

Kicking off his musical career in 2017, performing in pubs from as young as 14 years old, Capaldi has also spoken out about experiencing imposter syndrome. Speaking to The Sun, the chart-topping singer shared: “I feel I’ve got imposter syndrome. What am I doing here? Why do all these people want to see me? Everyone is an artist or looks like they should be on the catwalk, while I look like I should be at home watching Jeremy Kyle.”

However, despite the challenges he has and continues to experience, it’s clear that Capaldi is content. Speaking to NME, he said: “People think I make jokes because I’m uncomfortable. Actually, it’s the opposite — I make jokes because I’m comfortable with who I am.”

In fact, in the same week he shared his Tourette’s Syndrome with the world, Capaldi tweeted an amusing reaction to a social media comparison of him and the newly-appointed Prime Minister, Liz Truss. He replied with: “Why do I look like so many female politicians?”