John Stapelton has said he is ‘learning to live with’ Parkinson’s after revealing his diagnosis in a short film for BBC One’s Morning Live last month.
The broadcaster, 78, who has presented on programmes including Newsnight, Panorama and GMTV’s News Hour, told The Mirror: ‘You can’t escape these things as you grow older, these kinds of developments are sort of inevitable’.
‘You learn to live with it, get on with it and try to be as positive as you can.’
Parkinson’s disease is a condition in which parts of the brain become progressively damaged over many years, with symptoms including tremors and slow movement, according to the NHS website.
He now has weekly sessions with a speech therapist, walks 5,000 steps a day and have also joined an exercise class specifically for suffers of the condition.
John Stapelton , 78,has said he is ‘learning to live with’ Parkinson’s after revealing his diagnosis on BBC One’s Morning Live last month (pictured on GMB last month)
The broadcaster said: ‘You can’t escape these things as you grow older, these kinds of developments are sort of inevitable’ (pictured in his film for BBC’s BBC One’s Morning Live)
But John, who appeared on the BBC alongside son Nick, has denied that being open about his diagnosis is an act of bravery.
‘Someone said to me the other day “You’re very brave to do that”. I don’t consider it brave at all. Someone in my position almost considers it a duty to keep people informed and get people talking about it. I’ve been a patron of Parkinson’s UK for a long time, as my mum suffered from it.’
During his appearance on BBC One’s Morning Live, John admitted that he was ‘pragmatic’ about the prospect of it getting worse.
Saying: ‘Speaking is how I’ve earned my living for the best part of 50 years, It’s very frustrating sometimes, particularly (when) people are constantly saying to you ‘Sorry, what did you say?’ And you have to repeat yourself, time and time again.
‘I am fairly pragmatic about the prospect of this getting worse. I try to remain positive, because what’s the point of not being?’.
His son said that, while the diagnosis has been ‘really upsetting’, it did not come as a surprise because his grandmother also had the degenerative condition.
Speaking about his mother, Stapleton said: ‘I witnessed my mother’s decline from this lively, ebullient, outgoing lady to a lady who is fairly fragile.
‘One of the practical problems she faced initially was her inability to do things like open a can of beans or peel a potato.
He now has weekly sessions with a speech therapist, walks 5,000 steps a day and have also joined an exercise class specifically for suffers of the condition (pictured 2021)
Broadcaster John Stapleton has revealed his diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease
But John, who appeared on the BBC alongside son Nick (pictured) has denied that being open about his diagnosis is an act of bravery
John was asked to join TV-am in 1983 in a bid to improve the programme’s news content after he had already worked on Nationwide for the BBC so was already a familiar face with viewers
Speaking about his mother (pictured), Stapleton said: ‘I witnessed my mother’s decline from this lively, ebullient, outgoing lady to a lady who is fairly fragile’
‘Believe it or not, I’m having the same problem, to some extent, myself right now.’
In the clip, Nick talked to his father about the future and how he could best support him.
Stapleton said: ‘I want to remain as independent as I can for as long as I possibly can.
‘In terms of the house, I’d be very reluctant to leave it, which shall not surprise you at all.’
He also told his son he would be OK with using a stairlift if necessary and that he would be reluctant to go into care, but is also ‘a realist’.
Looking forward to the future, John added: ‘The fact that I’ve had an early diagnosis, the fact that I’ve seen what happened to my mother firsthand is all a big bonus in many ways, because it enables me to look at it practically, realistically and plan sensibly for the future.’
John was asked to join TV-am in 1983 in a bid to improve the programme’s news content after he had already worked on Nationwide for the BBC so was already a familiar face with viewers.
Over a 40-year career, John reported from the Falklands, the Middle East, and Northern Ireland for BBC’s Panorama and Newsnight. He also co-presented Watchdog in 1980.
John’s popularity certainly hasn’t decreased, and he is one of the few British TV presenters who can claim to have hosted most UK breakfast shows, including the BBC’s London Plus and Breakfast Time, GMTV, Daybreak and Good Morning Britain.
The journalist was married to Lynn Faulds Wood for 43 years until her death in 2020.
The journalist was married to Lynn Faulds Wood for 43 years until she sadly passed away in 2020 (pictured on their wedding day in 1977)
Lynn, who co-presented Watchdog with her husband John, had Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS), died after a ‘massive stroke’ at their home in London
John is one of few British TV presenters who can claim to have hosted most UK breakfast shows (pictured on Good Morning Britain)
Lynn, who co-presented Watchdog with her husband John, had Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS), died April 2020 following a ‘massive stroke’ at their home at St Margarets in south west London.
Lynn had also been diagnosed with bowel cancer 30 years ago, when there was just a 34 per cent chance of survival. And after she recovered from surgery and was given the all-clear, Lynn started campaigning to make people more aware of the early symptoms.
Speaking on Lorraine a year after her death, John said: ‘It’s been a difficult year, obviously.
‘…challenging year but I’ve been helped enormously by my son, Nick and his wife, Lisa and friends, family and dear neighbours have been fantastic.
‘It has been difficult for everybody, not just me this year because of the pandemic and the restrictions imposed upon us, quite rightly.’
The full film is available to watch on BBC iPlayer. Morning Live airs weekdays at 9.30am on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
