Mike Tindall has been praised for opening up about his father’s Parkinson’s battle on BBC Breakfast.
The former rugby star, who is married to the Queen’s granddaughter Zara Tindall, appeared on the morning show earlier today (October 13).
Mike‘s dad Philip was diagnosed with Parkinson’s back in 2003.
Mike Tindall appears on BBC Breakfast
Alongside Sally Nugent, the dad-of-three shared the importance of speaking and finding new research for the condition.
He said: “There is a real place to be building a database that is easy to find for everyone to use, to go and people to share their stories, share their symptoms.
“Obviously, doctors and neurologists are going to differ in their advice so you almost need to read the stories to actually figure out what’s going to work for you, what’s going to sit better with you, so I think that’s definitely somewhere we could get to.
I see what my mum and dad go through
“A resource that people who are newly diagnosed or if people are walking the path and just at a plateau can go and try and tap into and up skill themselves a little.”
The video clip also showed Mike talking to people with the condition.
After speaking to one man, he said: “I connect with David because I see what my mum and dad go through.
Former England rugby union captain Mike Tindall’s father has been living with Parkinson’s since 2003.
On #BBCBreakfast he met others living with the same conditionhttps://t.co/ltKPyvI8X1 pic.twitter.com/m8OGNKagdJ
— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) October 13, 2021
“It’s a very similar age when they got diagnosed, very similar story, slower symptoms.”
How did viewers react?
Viewers appeared emotional over the clip, as they rushed to twitter to share their thoughts.
One said: “So moving & informative. Great to see BBC Breakfast bringing us these such important deep dive stories rather than constant rolling news.”
Read more: Mike Tindall reunites with dad who has Parkinson’s disease
Another added: “Fantastic that you’ve shown this, let’s hope this feature raises more awareness, the end game must be to cure this disease. Thank you for showing this, hoping momentum will grow to make this a priority.”
A third wrote: “Excellent to see Mike and Sally talking about this illness. My sister was diagnosed quite a few years ago and it’s nice that more awareness is being made. Thank you.”
Mike opens up on his father’s Parkinson’s
Meanwhile, it isn’t the first time Mike has spoken about his dad.
Back in April, the former rugby star shared the devastating impacts Parkinson’s has had on his father.
On World Parkinson’s Day, he said: “I would say he’s had a really sort of tough five years, maybe even longer actually.
Read more: Zara Tindall ‘wiped blood from seat after husband Mike broke up fight at Euros final’
“It’s our 10-year wedding anniversary and it was that year that … through his Parkinson’s, his spine in his back is obviously curved, and then it caused problems with his discs and then he had to have a wheelchair at the wedding. He could walk some bits of it.”
He also credited his mum, saying: “She’s a very stoic, northern lady, who refuses to give her man up.”
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