Billie Eilish Praised For Going Public With Tourette's Syndrome

Billie Eilish is being praised for opening up about having Tourette's Syndrome after she was filmed experiencing a tic. Watch below.

The 20-year-old musician spoke to David Letterman about her diagnosis in the Netflix series My Next Guest Needs No Introduction.

Tourette's Syndrome is a condition of the nervous system that can lead to tics, such as sudden movements.

@billieeilish/Instagram

When David asked Billie if she felt comfortable discussing Tourette's, the Grammy-winning singer said: "It’s really weird, I haven’t talked about it at all. The most common way that people react is they laugh because they think I’m trying to be funny. They think I’m going [copies tic] as a funny move. And so they go, ‘Ha,’ and I’m always left incredibly offended by that. Or they go [looks around] ‘What?’ and then I go, ‘I have Tourette’s'."

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Social media users thanked Billie for being open about the condition. One fan said: "Cool to see Billie Eilish open up about living with Tourette’s and her tics. As someone who’s been living with it my whole life, I second this particular note hardcore. Tics can be flat-out exhausting, strenuous, and anxiety-inducing, especially in social situations."

Another Twitter user said they were happy a celebrity spoke about their experiences with the condition: "Billie Eilish talking about her tics and tourettes it's honestly, i'm so glad people are starting to just talk about it more."

While another Twitter user said: "i appreciate how transparent she’s being here because usually when she talks about it she’s just explaining what it is, but now we’re hearing about other peoples reactions and how they make her feel and it honestly puts everything in a new perspective".

A third fan tweeted: "SUCH AN INCREDIBLE HUMAN BEING. I cannot even imagine how exhausting it is to have Tourette's living a normal life, what more with Billie's life constantly in the spotlight. @billieeilish we love you so much! Keep inspiring! #BillieEilish #MyNextGuest #TourettesSyndrome."

Billie also explained some of her physical tics. "I never don’t tic at all, because the main tics that I do constantly, all day long, are like, I wiggle my ear back and forth and raise my eyebrow and click my jaw … and flex my arm here and flex this arm, flex these muscles. These are things you would never notice if you’re just having a conversation with me, but for me, they’re very exhausting,” she said.

My Next Guest Needs No Introduction is available on Netflix now.

For more information on Tourette's visit the NHS website here.

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