Lorraine viewers were left feeling all sorts of emotions after Back To The Future star Michael J Fox shared an update amid his Parkinson’s battle.
The 61-year-old Hollywood legend has lived with the disease for more than 30 years, being diagnosed with the brain disorder at just 29 years old.
And on Friday (May 12) Michael appeared on ITV’s Lorraine to talk about his new documentary Still – which follows his life living with Parkinson’s disease, alongside his wife Tracy and four children.
READ MORE: This Morning’s biggest controversies – Queen’s queue, wage row and host feuds
But host Lorraine Kelly and her loyal legion of viewers were left elated when Michael spoke about the current medical advances being made in treating Parkinson’s.
When asked about the possibility of getting close to a cure for Parkinson’s disease, Michael responded, “I feel it’s closer than it’s ever been.”
The actor, who has raised over £1 billion for the cause, added: “I think we’ve found this biomarker which is huge, identifying the disease and therefore being able to treat it earlier.
“It was a gigantic breakthrough, we didn’t expect to make it this soon. We were working on it for a long time, ten years ago we talked about it.
“I’m thrilled with life, I love life. I’m a very happy person. It’s good, I’m 61 years old and that’s amazing in itself.”
Thanks to his charity, The Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, the actor has raised more than $1.75bn (£1.39bn) for research into treating the illness.
Viewers watching Lorraine soon rushed to Twitter to gush over the Hollywood legend, with one writing: “What a legend Michael J Fox is?!”
Echoing their thoughts, someone else proclaimed: “I get so emoshe watching Michael J Fox. It’s like seeing an old familiar friend you’ve grown up with. Just love him.”
It comes after Micheal speculated about what may have led to the devastating disease – which causes uncontrollable tremors, stiffness and balance problems.
(Image: Getty Images)
In an interview with Jane Pauley for CBS, Micheal admitted it’s “very possible” he “did some damage” in the 80s as he opened up about his struggles with Parkinson’s.
But the actor revealed there could have been many moments that triggered the disease.
He explained: “I mean, there’s so many ways that you can… that I could’ve hurt myself. I could’ve hit my head. I could’ve drank too much at a certain developmental period.”
Revealing the most probable cause, he added: “Most likely I think is, that I was exposed to some kind of chemical. What we say is that genetics loads the gun and environment pulls the trigger.”
READ MORE:
For more of the latest showbiz and TV news from the Daily Star, make sure you sign up for one of our newsletters here .
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
