In 2019, actor and comedian Eric Lampaert woke up unable to recognise his friends, his parents, or even his own name. He was diagnosed with confusion delirium and amnesia. Seven years later, he is set to perform his new show, Zero Minus One, at the Edinburgh festival fringe, recounting his experience of losing and regaining his memory.
The Event and Its Aftermath
On 17 March 2019, Lampaert woke up in Los Angeles, marvelling at his own hands as if seeing them for the first time. A knock on the door from a neighbour collecting a bottle of bleach revealed that he no longer recognised anyone around him. He was taken to hospital, where doctors diagnosed him with confusion delirium and amnesia. For 18 months, he lived without memories, unable to identify his own parents. 'I get that you're this guy's mum,' he told his mother, 'but as far as I'm concerned, Eric died.'
Lampaert deleted his website and stopped posting to his 100,000 Facebook followers, adopting new social media identities such as 'artist formerly known as Eric' and 'surfing chaos'. He survived through occasional TV work and improv gigs. His new show is an attempt to heal and reunite himself with his name. 'I want to shed this story. I need it out of me,' he says.
Roots of the Amnesia
Lampaert's amnesia was sudden but rooted in a lifetime of anxiety, abandonment, and bullying. Raised in multiple countries before settling in Newmarket, England, he was bullied at school for being French. At 15, his parents separated, and he became homeless, living out of a bag with friends' families. At university, he studied theatre arts and began standup comedy, but a TV commercial for Viva TV in 2009 led to death threats and online abuse over his appearance.
In 2016, he moved to Los Angeles after a wave of success, including a Royal Television Society award and supporting Eddie Izzard. However, work did not materialise, and his marriage to Jordan Dwayne broke down. He filed for divorce in late 2018. 'It was a very lonely time,' he says. He sought hypnotherapy, which he felt helped him address abandonment issues but also triggered the amnesia. 'The brain was like: Oh I'm done with this stress. Tsssshhhh. Reset,' he explains.
Psychosis and Recovery
During his amnesia, Lampaert experienced psychosis, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. He had written a script about a global disease outbreak in 2018, and when the pandemic hit, he believed he had caused it. 'I thought I was to blame for millions of deaths,' he says. He was sectioned (5150'd) and spent time in a psychiatric hospital.
Recovery came gradually. He tried Jungian therapy, NHS PTSD courses, antidepressants, and mood stabilisers. In 2023, he landed a role as Crow in The Thing With Feathers alongside Benedict Cumberbatch, which allowed him to rent an apartment in Wembley. He now lives with his father in Newmarket, repairing their relationship. 'We talk a lot more comfortably,' he says. 'I understand us in a different way.'
The New Show: Zero Minus One
Zero Minus One is a two-hander set in a padded cell, with Lampaert playing both patient and doctor, as well as other voices in his head. The show runs from 6-30 August at Just The Tonic during the Edinburgh festival fringe. Lampaert describes it as his professional rebirth. 'I'm starting again. I want to show people that I am back,' he says.
Reflecting on his journey, Lampaert says, 'I'm not afraid of dying any more. I've already done it.' He feels alien but connected to something larger. When his memories returned, he made himself laugh by joking about his perceived role in the pandemic. 'What I am – the essence, maybe – is just laughter, good humour. When the pain becomes a joke, it's soothing,' he concludes.
