Veteran TV reporter John Stapleton on battling Parkinson’s – ‘you learn to live with it’
With wife Lynn Faulds Wood on Watchdog, veteran TV journalist John Stapleton spent years fighting for other people’s rights. Now that he is facing his own battle against Parkinson’s disease, John, 78, is finding the same forthright attitude serves him best.
Sadly, after Lynn’s death in 2020 he will face the future without her by his side, although he has the steadfast support of their son Nick, who is also a TV journalist. John says: “You can’t escape these things as you grow older, these kinds of developments are sort of inevitable. You develop the ability to accept it, move along with it, and be as optimistic as you can.
And he is speaking and talking as evidence of optimism and moving on. After his speech began to deteriorate, John has had weekly meetings with a speech therapist to make sure he can continue speaking clearly. Now he is aiming to walk more than 5, 000 steps a day and is about to join a keep fit class specifically for Parkinson’s sufferers, as exercise aids the condition.
John appeared on BBC TV’s Morning Live with Nick, where he became known for his nearly 50 years of acting, which included covering the Kosovo war and four US elections. He followed this up with a conversation with Susanna Reid, a former coworker, on Good Morning Britain. “The reaction has been absolutely overwhelming”, he says. “We’ve had hundreds and hundreds of emails and messages. Very heartwarming, very encouraging. Everyone can identify a person who has it, in my opinion. There’s massive interest in the subject”.
He added: “It was Nick’s idea]to publicise it]. A short film about role-reversal was what he wanted to make. As a parent, you spend your life looking after your kids. However, there will come a point when your children will look after you and you will have to consider difficult future decisions. Someone said to me the other day, ‘ You’re very brave to do that’. I don’t consider it brave at all. Someone in my position almost feels compelled to keep people informed and have people talk about it. I’ve been a patron of Parkinson’s UK for a long time, as my mum suffered from it”.
In the UK, around 153, 000 people live with Parkinson’s, a condition in which the brain is progressively damaged. John’s mother June was diagnosed aged 78 – the same age as him. She had signs for a while, so it didn’t come as a surprise. John says: “I remember vividly the impact on my mother. The doctor told her, “It will take about five years to set in. ” She trembled. And he was absolutely correct.
Because my mother was the party’s life and soul, she was lively and brilliant. My dad was different. He was lovely but shy, retiring. Mother’s health declined dramatically, her home almost rendering her a prisoner. Playing the game, as it were, with Parkinson’s, is not a prospect I relish. However, you’ve got to think positive. Lynn used to say ‘ No point in worrying about things you can’t change’. “
” Parkinson’s is not going to go away, so learn to live with it. I take the best advice I can from my neurologist, from my speech therapist, and get on with it. “John, who lives alone, is also keen to stay outgoing. He says:” Driving may become an issue. When you get Parkinson’s, you inform DVLA. And they spoke with my neurologist, who assured me that I would be fine for the time being. There may come a point when I have to give up the car. I will sell the car and take Ubers. “
I knew we were both big Manchester City fans, so I had been looking forward to speaking with him. We spend at least half of our time rehashing the previous game and reflecting on our current situation this year.
John’s other long-term concern is the possibility that as he leaves his West London home to play games in Manchester. Although I still find it can be a little challenging at times, I still play home games. I’ve supported City for 71 years, believe it or not.
“First, when I was seven years old, my dad took me to see City play Blackpool at Maine Road. Stanley Matthews played for Blackpool. There’s four generations of us that watched Man City. So it’s in my blood. I know lots of people there. It gives me a boost to go, not just for the football, but for the camaraderie as well”.
And while football can continue for a while, work as a journalist, aside from recent appearances about his illness, has stopped. How does he recall his incredible career, then? “I had a wonderful time. I’ve worked for the BBC, I worked for ITV, and there’s been a few ups and downs but, overall, I’ve been very lucky.
” I worked on Nationwide, on Panorama, on Newsnight. I did the chat show The Time, The Place. I did Watchdog with Lynn, which used to get six, seven million viewers a week.
“Then, of course, GMTV. I spent 17 years working breakfast television with the lovely Penny Smith, Eammon, Fiona Phillips, and Lorraine Kelly before getting up at half past three or four. We had a great time.
” I learned things in local newspapers, who did what, when, how and why. That information never left me. You made this tiny bit of talent stretch a long way, a friend once said.
Source: Mirror
Leave a Reply