John Davidson breaks silence on BAFTA Tourette's incident

Scottish Tourettes syndrome activist John Davidson has spoken publicly for the first time after his involuntary vocal tics disrupted the 79th BAFTA Awards including the use of offensive slurs during the live ceremonyIn an interview with Variety Davidson described the distress he experienced on the night and clarified that his words were the result of an involuntary neurological response not intentDavidson the reallife inspiration behind the film I Swear attended the ceremony after the project which chronicles his life living with Tourettes received six nominationsDuring the event his vocal tics were audible as actors Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented an award Davidsons team has since confirmed that he has reached out to the studio handling Sinners to directly apologise to Jordan Lindo and production designer Hannah BeachlerAddressing widespread coverage of the incident Davidson said many people misunderstand Tourettes syndrome particularly the symptom known as coprolalia the involuntary use of obscene or offensive languageVery often the media focuses on my particular type of Tourettes which is called coprolalia he explained noting that the symptom affects between 10per cent and 30 per cent of people with the condition and is not required for diagnosisHe added that it remains one of the hardest tics to manage and can cause significant distressDavidson stressed that his tics have absolutely nothing to do with what I think feel or believeHe described them as an involuntary neurological misfire adding My tics are not an intention not a choice and not a reflection of my valuesHe acknowledged that one of the offensive words uttered during the ceremony was a racial slur saying he fully understands its historical and modern significance However he clarified that he ticked perhaps 10 different offensive words throughout the evening and that the focus on a single term has created a misleading impressionWhat youre hearing is a symptom not my character not my thought not my belief he said in an interview with VarietyDavidson revealed that attending the BAFTAs was both meaningful and physically challenging He has lived with Tourettes for nearly 40 years and underwent serious heart surgery just five weeks before the ceremonyThis was an awards ceremony that featured six nominations connected to a film that told the story of my life he said adding that he is also an executive producer on the project and had worked on it for three yearsHe said he expected that members of the audience many of whom had seen I Swear would understand his condition He also believed precautions would be in place regarding broadcast audioStudioCanal was working closely with BAFTA and attendees had been informed that any swearing would be edited out of the broadcastDavidson who has previously made four documentaries with the BBC said he had anticipated greater awareness and sound management particularly as he was seated approximately 40 rows from the stageReflecting on the auditorium setup he noted that a microphone was positioned near his seat With hindsight I have to question whether this was wise he saidDavidson described the escalating anxiety he felt as the ceremony progressed Initially his tics consisted of noises and movements As his nerves intensified so did his vocal ticsWhen my coprolalia tics came out my stomach just dropped he said adding As always I felt a wave of shame and embarrassment hit me all at once You want the floor to swallow you upHe said he hoped attendees would recognise that he could not control what was happening Please dont judge me Please understand this isnt who I am he recalled thinkingThe moment he realised his tics had reached the stage was when Jordan and Lindo appeared to look up from their presenting duties Soon after Davidson chose to leave the auditorium BAFTA arranged for him to watch the remainder of the ceremony from a private roomDavidson has long campaigned to improve understanding of Tourettes and said the reaction to the BAFTAs demonstrates how much work remainsHe shared that he has previously faced violent assault due to his condition and continues to encounter damaging misconceptions including claims that people with Tourettes only say offensive words if they secretly believe themComments suggesting he should stay inside or that his tics reflect racism have been deeply upsetting he saidDavidson also requested careful language in reporting preferring Tourettes to be described as a condition rather than a disabilityThe awards were a heightened version of my everyday life he reflected adding They are the reason why for many periods in my life I have been fearful of leaving the houseThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever