The beloved TV presenter – who has shifted from Television to TikTok in recent years – said he had developed epilepsy after experiencing a mini stroke.
On his now preferred social media site, the 73-year-old admitted he found his diagnosis “scary” and he’d had “several attacks this year”.
@themichaelbarrymore That was a really cool day #vlog #michaelbarrymore ♬ Coffee and Chords – ya-su
According to the NHS, symptoms of epilepsy – a condition that affects your brain and causes seizures – often start in young children and people over 50.
Speaking about his diagnosis on the platform, the former game show host said: “A mini stroke caused me to develop epilepsy where I have uncontrollable seizures…
“I suffer from cluster seizures, which affects a quarter of people with epilepsy.
“It means I have more than one, usually three individual seizures in a short period of time.”
Michael must take emergency medication if he has a seizure.
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The star continued: “It’s scary because there’s a 40 per cent chance of going into epilepticus, which causes brain damage and death without prompt medical attention.
“I’ve had several attacks this year and have emergency medication at home if I go into a seizure.
“It doesn’t really affect my life otherwise, but it would be nice to talk with other sufferers on here about it.”
The entertainer, who has become popular with Gen Z with his TikToks and vlogs, has received more than 580,000 views on the video, which shows him in a hospital bed.
