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John Davidson, a prominent advocate for Tourette’s awareness and the figure behind the film *I Swear*, recently gained international attention due to involuntary tics associated with his condition. Yet, for those living with Tourette’s syndrome, daily life remains unpredictable and challenging. Among them is 22-year-old Seren Jaye, whose decision to leave home often hinges on how manageable her tics are on any given day.
Seren experiences a range of symptoms, including motor tics like jaw movements, vocal tics, and coprolalia— the uncontrollable utterance of offensive language, which can become particularly embarrassing in public settings. She highlights how silence, or environments that demand quiet, amplify her difficulties. “I can’t go into a library,” she says, noting that even on days when her vocal tics are mild, such places can intensify her symptoms tenfold.
The condition came under public scrutiny recently during the BAFTA awards, where John Davidson involuntarily uttered a racist slur while actors Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage. This incident led to a BBC apology and a swift investigation, as the producers responsible for editing the broadcast missed the offensive language due to working from a remote location. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy condemned the broadcast as “completely unacceptable and harmful,” emphasizing the need for inclusivity for people with Tourette’s at such events. “We all want to make sure that the Baftas and all of our award ceremonies can be inclusive places where people with Tourette’s, who’ve been shut out of society for too long, can be fully included,” she stated.
Tourette’s syndrome, affecting approximately one in 100 individuals in the UK according to Tourette’s Action, manifests primarily through involuntary tics—repetitive movements or sounds beyond the person’s control. Between 10% to 30% of those with the condition experience coprolalia, where socially unacceptable words are unwittingly spoken. Seren expressed deep sadness over the BAFTA incident, remarking that better care should have been taken during editing to avoid placing those involved in such an uncomfortable position. She lamented how the episode overshadowed the appreciation due for the film itself, urging people to actually watch the movie before passing judgment.
John Davidson recounted a powerful moment during the film’s premiere, when he saw an audience of others with Tourette’s freely expressing their tics without fear of judgment, describing it as “an amazing moment.” He shared that he hadn’t felt comfortable viewing a film publicly since childhood. Davidson vividly described the sensation preceding a tic as a rising, gut-wrenching feeling that culminates suddenly in an involuntary outburst, which might range from a swear word to a compliment. Seren, who lost her eyesight five years ago,
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