BBC's John Stapleton reveals Parkinson’s diagnosis in heartbreaking film with son

John Stapleton has revealed he has Parkinson's diseases in a heartbreaking film with his son

Nationally renowned news journalist John Stapleton, who has presented programmes such as Newsnight, Panorama, and Good Morning Britain in his 50-year career, reveals for the first time his recent diagnosis of Parkinson’s in a touching film with his son and BBC presenter Nick Stapleton.

Talking about his diagnosis, John shared: “Speaking is how I've earned my living for the best part of 50 years, and it's very frustrating sometimes, particularly if people are constantly saying to you, sorry, what did you say?

"And you have to repeat yourself time and time and time again. I'm fairly pragmatic about the prospect of this getting worse. I try to remain positive because what's the point of not being (positive).”

Last year, a study found that 74 percent of people would find it hard to talk with an older loved one about care*.

In the film, Nick, John’s son, explores how to approach the difficult conversations around the diagnosis as a family and navigate the challenges that come with it.

John talks about his mother also having Parkinson’s and that he is currently experiencing some similar mobility problems that she had. Nick speaks about standing in his father’s shoes 20 years on, anticipating how to support a parent through their diagnosis and how to discuss the reality of what support they might need in the future.

Nick continued: “It’s early days for us, and thankfully Dad is still fairly independent, but nonetheless I want to start these conversations now, to get some potentially difficult topics out in the open and make it easier for later on.“

Georgina Jones, a senior care advisor at Parkinson’s UK, advises Nick on how to have a sensitive conversation with his dad about the possibility of future care.

Georgina went on: “It's trying to talk about what support someone might need rather than what care they might need, starting with what they would like and what they're struggling with. There's all kinds of equipment that people might need in their home. And those kind of small steps will then build up to something more major, decisions about if someone needed to sell their home, they needed to move, etc.”

Following the discussion with his son and looking to the future, John added: “The fact that I've had an early diagnosis, the fact that I've seen what happened to my mother firsthand is all a big bonus in many ways, because it enables me to look at it practically, realistically and plan sensibly for the future.”

The full film is available to watch on BBC iPlayer now. Details of organisations offering information and support with life-limiting conditions such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and cancer, and support for end-of-life care are available at www.bbc.co.uk/actionline.

Morning Live airs weekdays at 9:30am on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.