Veteran TV presenter Michael Barrymore has revealed he has been diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 73, following a mini stroke. The former game show host, known for programmes such as Strike It Lucky and Kids Say the Funniest Things, shared the news with fans on TikTok, describing his experience of “uncontrollable seizures”.
Barrymore explained that he now suffers from cluster seizures, a condition affecting around a quarter of people with epilepsy, which means he typically experiences three individual seizures in a short period. He said: “A mini stroke caused me to develop epilepsy where I have uncontrollable seizures… It’s scary because there’s a 40% chance of going into epilepticus which causes brain damage and death without prompt medical attention.”
The entertainer, who headlined the Royal Variety Performance in 1993, has emergency medication at home to administer if he goes into a seizure. Despite the diagnosis, he noted that it does not significantly affect his daily life and expressed a desire to connect with other epilepsy sufferers on social media.
Barrymore, who grew up in Bermondsey, southeast London, has become an unlikely icon for Generation Z through his TikTok and vlog content. He recently gave a TV interview about his plans to move to Spain, a decision he said was aimed at “changing his life for the better”.
The diagnosis comes more than two decades after the death of Stuart Lubbock at a party at Barrymore’s home in 2001, an incident that led to his dismissal from ITV in 2003. Barrymore has never been charged in connection with the death, and there is no suggestion of wrongdoing on his part.
