TV presenter and broadcaster John Stapleton speaks to Editor Melissa Holmes about his recent diagnosis of Parkinson’s

John Stapleton is something of a national treasure. From presenting Good Morning Britain and GMTV’s News Hour, to fronting consumer affairs show Watchdog with his late wife Lynn Faulds Wood, and reporting from some of the biggest global news events, John – and his voice – are instantly recognisable.
But John might argue that, these days, you may notice a difference in his voice – which is how he earned his living for 50 years. He retired a decade ago, but has recently been back on our screens due to his diagnosis of Parkinson’s. John feels it’s affected the resonance in his voice but, as we chat over video call, I only hear a small difference in his speech.
MAKING MYSELF UNDERSTOOD
“If I’m in a pub or restaurant, I have difficulty making myself understood,” he told me. “I have to repeat myself which is rather annoying.” John also has a tremor and some difficulty swallowing, and says: “My handwriting has gone to pot.”
Parkinson’s is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world, and currently there is no cure. John is a patron of Parkinson’s UK and, according to the charity, people with Parkinson’s don’t have enough of the chemical dopamine in their brain because some of the nerve cells that make it have stopped working. This leads to a wide range of symptoms – the most common being a tremor (shaking), slowness of movement, and rigidity (muscle stiffness).
John, who is 78, first noticed symptoms – a minor tremor – three years ago, so went to see a neurologist. “They said, ‘It’s what we call a benign essential tremor’. I said, ‘How do you get that?’ and the neurologist said, ‘We haven’t a clue, but don’t worry about it unless it gets worse’.” The tremor got worse over time, and John was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in April 2024, before deciding to go public about it in October.

NO SURPRISE
“I’d say it was no surprise,” he admits. John’s late mother had Parkinson’s, and he says: “I knew what was coming.” But what did come as a surprise was the reaction of the public when he shared his story. “It wasn’t about getting John Stapleton back on the telly, honestly,” he laughs. “It was about increasing awareness of Parkinson’s and encouraging people to talk.”
John and his son Nick (pictured below), who is also a journalist and broadcaster, made a film for BBC One’s Morning Live in which he revealed his diagnosis. The pair had been discussing what John may need in the future: “You know – will I need a stairlift, will I be able to continue living in this house, will I be able to continue driving?” and the father and son decided to make a film about it.

STAGGERING
“I was absolutely staggered by the reaction to be quite honest with you, I never imagined anything like that would happen,” John reveals. “It was picked up by more than 200 different media outlets, both national and regional. I’ve had hundreds of messages and calls… which is great because that’s what it was all about.”
John says that, although Parkinson’s only affects 153,000 people in the UK, many others are widely impacted. “You spend your life looking after your kids, then your kids have to look after you,” John admits. “It’s possibly not something you want to confront, but you have to have those conversations about what the future may hold, which is what Nick and I did.”
John feels that men in particular can be: “very bad at this kind of thing. You’ve just got to be very frank, and address whatever’s crossing your mind. If you can’t share these concerns with your own kith and kin, who can you share them with?”
PRAGMATIC
Lancashire-born John has taken a pragmatic view about his diagnosis, explaining that his wife Lynn used to say there’s no point in worrying about things you can’t change. “I’ve kept that in mind,” he muses. “Parkinson’s isn’t going to go away, so I’m learning to live with it; make the best of it.” John is taking medication to help manage his symptoms. He’s also working with a speech therapist and keep fit expert, who has Parkinson’s herself. “I’ve never been that fond of exercise to be quite frank, but I’ve got to learn to live with that. I’m taking all the best advice I can.”

CHALLENGES
One of the biggest challenges he faces is getting dressed in the morning. “It’s not as easy as it was,” John tells me. “Fastening your shirt buttons – that becomes a challenge. Peeling a potato becomes a challenge. Fastening zips… I hate zips,” he admits. “Getting the zip locked and fastened up on your overcoat, particularly in weather like this, that can take a long time.”
Like many people affected by Parkinson’s, John may eventually need to stop driving. He says he’ll continue to watch his favourite football team (Manchester City) in action as often as he can: “They’re not doing too well at the minute but I’ll keep the faith… as ever.” John keeps busy with his social life and told me: “Since that film went out, I’ve been absolutely inundated with offers of dinner and lunch. It’s been charming. As long as I can, I’ll keep going.”