Mark Mardell reveals he has Parkinson's disease

Mark Mardell, pictured in 2005

Former BBC presenter Mark Mardell has revealed he has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

The former Europe and North America editor shared the news on the podcast Beeb Watch, telling ex-colleague Roger Bolton he was "fine and dandy" but his voice was "rather strange and weak".

"I'm getting used to being the quietest person in the room rather than the loudest," the 65-year-old joked.

Presenter Jeremy Paxman disclosed he had Parkinson's last year.

The University Challenge presenter's diagnosis came just two years after former BBC technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones revealed he had Parkinson's disease, after a neurologist noticed his symptoms during a live broadcast and contacted the BBC.

Broadcaster Mardell, who also hosted The World This Weekend on BBC Radio 4, told Bolton he first noticed the symptoms after struggling to open supermarket packaging earlier in the year.

"I started thinking at the beginning of the year, Waitrose are making their packaging really hard to get into these days - what's this about?"

"And then I found my arms suddenly lifting above my head for no particular reason, or at least staying there."

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Mardell. who left the BBC in 2020 after 30 years at the corporation, was advised by a friend who is also a physiotherapist to see a doctor in May.

"Generally it's in the stage of just being annoying rather than anything terrible," said Mardell, adding that currently his biggest concern was learning that the medication he has been prescribed can make patients act impulsively.

"If I start gambling, you know there's a problem with the pills!"

Parkinson's disease is a neurological disorder which attacks the area of the brain which controls movement.

Comedian Sir Billy Connolly, musician Ozzy Osbourne and actor Michael J Fox have all been diagnosed with the disease which is believed to be the fastest-growing neurological condition in the world.

Charity Parkinson's UK estimates that around 145,000 people in the UK are living with the disease, with that number predicted to grow as life expectancy increases.

What is Parkinson's disease?

• The three main symptoms are involuntary shaking, slow movement and stiff and inflexible muscles

• A person with Parkinson's can also experience a wide range of other physical and psychological symptoms, including depression and anxiety, balance problems, loss of sense of smell, problems sleeping and memory problems

• Parkinson's disease is caused by a loss of nerve cells in part of the brain called the substantia nigra

• Exactly what causes it is unclear - most experts think a combination of genetic and environmental factors is responsible

• About one in 500 people is affected by Parkinson's disease

• Although there's currently no cure, treatments including medication and physiotherapy can help reduce the main symptoms

• With advances in treatment, most people with Parkinson's now have a normal or near-normal life expectancy

Source: NHS