Jonathan Ross says his daughter now uses a wheelchair due to long-term condition
Emma Guinness
Featured Image Credit: ITV/dayglobetty/Instagram
Jonathan Ross has revealed that his daughter now needs to use a wheelchair to aid her mobility because of a long-term health condition.
The TV presenter, 62, explained that the wheelchair helps his eldest daughter Betty, 31, deal with the symptoms of fibromyalgia.
He said the chronic condition, coupled with her diagnosises of chronic fatigue syndrome and POTS syndrome, has left her needing additional support.
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As reported by the NHS, fibromyalgia causes all-over body pain, which can have a number of additional symptoms including headaches and sleep problems.
He told Loose Women on Friday (30 December): "She has fibromyalgia and she has chronic fatigue syndrome and POTS syndrome as well, which is where your heart rate shoots up."
Jonathan explained while Betty has her struggles, she is working through them to the best of her ability.
"We found a good… there's a thing called the Perrin treatment," he explained. "The guy who invented it, he came to talk to me about it and she looked it up online because she's a smart young woman, so she has to want to do the treatment.
"You know, I mean, I can't just say to her 'try this, try that' if she thinks it's wrong in some way and if she's not going to enter it one hundred per cent, of course, it's not worth doing.
"But we've been having that treatment going on and she's definitely showing some improvement."
The presenter explained that a wheelchair is helping improve his daughter's quality of life too.
"She still can't walk very far," he said.
"We got her an electric wheelchair in the summer, so we can at least go out and go for walks with the dogs and that's lifted her spirits a lot."
Jonathan explained that one of the biggest challenges Betty faces is the effect her physical health has on her mental health.
"Because that's the problem, if anyone out there who knows or who's got someone with a long-term illness, you know, it's the depression," he said.
"Being stuck indoors and not being able to join in with things because even stairs are a challenge to her.
"So if we're going out we have to give her plenty of time to get ready, get downstairs and then have a rest before we go to the next step, you know."
Jonathan's recent revelations about Betty's health come after the pair first spoke out about her condition in 2021.
This came when the broadcaster had to cancel his Halloween party.
"One of our children isn't well... it's fibromyalgia which is quite debilitating," he said at the time.
"She's back home with us and we're looking after her. She's upstairs and I thought, 'I can't in good conscience have a big loud fun party downstairs and one of my kids is locked in a room upstairs'. It would be like something out of a horror novel.'"
Writing about how her wheelchair has changed her life on Instagram, Betty added: "I cannot describe how absolutely wonderful it felt to get out in the sunshine and get to zoom about.
"If you're on the fence about whether or not to get that piece of adaptive equipment/mobility aid, this is your sign to do it."