Sunrise Surprise

Live TV and Tourettes Syndrome don’t usually mix, so when the cab driver picked me up this morning to take me to the Sky Newsroom way out in West London, I was excited but a little more nervous than usual. I only found out yesterday that they wanted to interview me so the whole experience came as a bit of a surprise.

Sky have an imposing-looking building with a lot of security and more steps than I would have liked, but what the studio lacked in accessibility was more than made up for by the friendliness of the production team.

I was impressed that the producer was happy for me to go on live, and that they were willing to risk the occasional rude word slipping out in order to allow me to get my message across. I was more worried about having a ‘ticcing fit’ in the studio, but they were relaxed about that too and it didn’t happen.

I’ve not had a chance to watch it yet, but I’m hoping they remembered to turn my microphone off while they were doing the sports report – my tics were repeating the team names and giving false scores.

If you’ve just found my site this morning because you saw me on TV, welcome. Please take your time to have a look around. You’ll find nearly three years’ worth of daily blog, thousands and thousands of tics, and a gallery full of tic-inspired art. You can add a picture of your own if you’re feeling creative.

If you want to find out more about Tourettes Syndrome or Touretteshero, the FAQ is a good place to start. If you like what you’ve seen and want to support me to do more, you could consider making a donation.

My book, Welcome to Biscuit Land, is out now and you can get your copy online here.

And if you’d like more you can find me on Facebook and Twitter.

It was raining heavily this morning but it’s turned into a lovely day.

5 responses to Sunrise Surprise

  1. SaraBee says:

    Jessica, your interview was great, I hope you enjoyed it.
    i hope lots of folk, like me, who know very little about tourettes are encouraged to read more about it. i have to say it looks as though you must expend a lot of energy on a daily basis, does it tire you out ever?
    on a lighter note, my (greedy) dog would be in a spin with you. we can’t even whisper ‘biscuit’ without her jumping around – says more about my kids tit-bitting her i suspect.
    good luck with the site and the book!

  2. emlouisef says:

    Jessica, like the previous comment, I thought your interview was great! I look forward to learning more about Tourette’s through the site and the book, which I’ll get as soon as I can.
    Thanks for sharing everything with us. xxx

  3. Hattie says:

    Jessica I’ve just seen your interview and logged into the site straight away. Your interview was great, you came across very confident and comfortable with your tourettes, not letting interfere with your interview. Well done lass!! I’ve ordered the book and will have a good ole gander around the site. Thanks for sharing with the world and making for a more understanding society :0) x

  4. maria66 says:

    I looked for your website, because of the interview you did this morning, I thought you were amazing, bright and funny. You’ve made me much more aware, I have a son with Aspergers, and sometimes I want people to see the funny side of his condition. Humour really does cross boundries. Really looking forward to reading your book. Thanks. x

  5. Catwings says:

    are those the gloves your friend made?
    this video set my tics off like crazy; i could barely watch it. Mostly from your chest-punching tics, as it’s now brought back the assorted face-, chest-, abdomen- and crotch-punching tics I’ve had over the years. Better get my own (somewhat less stylish) gloves back on!

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