Michael J Fox details reason he kept Parkinson's diagnosis a secret in health update
Actor Michael J Fox officially retired from acting in 2021 to focus his attention on advocacy and fundraising for Parkinson's disease.
Michael J Fox discusses BAFTA nominated documentary
On Tuesday’s instalment of BBC Breakfast, presenter Tom Brook spoke to Michael J Fox about his recent BAFTA nomination for his documentary. During their discussion, the host highlighted that the actor decided to keep his Parkinson’s Disease hidden from the public.
Speaking about his decision, Michael said: “I didn’t know what I was going to do. I didn’t know how it was going to manifest itself and I didn’t know what to expect. No one could really tell me what to expect."
It wasn’t long before the actor became an advocate for helping to find a cure for the disease and launched a foundation that has raised huge amounts of funds for research. During the segment, BBC fans learned the 62-year-old sees his disease as an opportunity to help other people.
He added: “I would say it’s a gift and a few people would look at me and say, ‘It’s the gift that keeps on taking’, but it’s a gift. I realised I had to turn around and turn it into something and make it a positive thing that affected other people in a positive way.
“So I did, I started the foundation, but it took a while to get there.” Speaking about Parkinson’s he described it as hard and annoying, although he noted that for some people it can be devastating.
READ MORE Jonnie Irwin's bittersweet last TV appearance before losing cancer battle [LATEST]
It wasn’t long before people watching the show took to Twitter to praise Michael for his outlook on the disease.
@SKingdonWard commented: “What an incredible attitude from such a talented man. No self-pity, just an outpouring of positivity and an urge to do something for others. Total respect.”
@topfotogmw added: “Amazing guy.”
JaneUptonow tweeted: “What a remarkable person he is x His role in 'The Good Wife' & 'The Good Fight' is worth a watch: his lawyer character uses his illness to his advantage in ways that make you smile & make his rivals roll their eyes!”
Don't miss...
King Charles won't 'want estrangement' with Prince Harry, says former advisor [ROYAL]
Coronation Street star Peter Ash’s life - from exit to mum's hidden cameo role [INSIGHT]
Coronation Street 'exit' for beloved character as Maria gets worrying call [SOAP]
@ClintonDavey said: “This dude [sic].”
Although he retired a few years back due to his health, Michael has recently been thrown back into the spotlight for his documentary Still which has been nominated for a BAFTA.
The film is a look into the actor’s career throughout the 90s and his life after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s.
Speaking about his upcoming documentary, he explained “What the story is about, it’s about resilience and it’s about hope. An incurable optimist meets an incurable disease”.
He was diagnosed back in 1991 at the age of 21, although decided not to make his condition known to the public until 1998.
When the segment had finished, presenter Sally Nugent commented: “Who would’ve thought when we watched him all those years ago that he would go on to be such an incredible campaigner changing lives.”
Echoing Sally, Jon Kay highlighted how big the star was in the 80s as he added: “He was huge wasn’t he? Absolutely huge and still using that power, that celebrity to have his say.”