Jo Whiley reveals sister has 'developed a kind of Tourette's' syndrome
Jo Whiley says her family has been "taken by surprise" after her disabled sister Frances - who has cri du chat syndrome - has recently shown tics related to Tourette's.
Jo Whiley's sister has "developed a kind of Tourette's" syndrome.
Frances has cri du chat syndrome - a rare genetic disorder that can cause severe learning disabilities - and lives in residential care, and now BBC Radio 2 DJ Jo said her sibling has recently displayed tics similar to those caused by Tourette's.
On the latest episode of the Dig It podcast, Jo, 60, told her 55-year-old co-host, broadcaster Zoe Ball: "My sister has developed a kind of Tourette's which has really taken us by surprise.
"She doesn't swear, although occasionally she has said the odd thing. But she started snorting, and it was so alien to what we were used to with Frances.
"She does these really, really loud snorts. When it first happens, and you're out in public, it really takes you back. You're like, 'Oh, God, that's embarrassing.'
"And you kind of think, 'Oh, should I be apologising?' And then you realise that she can't help herself. She started spitting as well, which is really anti-social, and it's just not like her. It's just not the way we were brought up."
Jo noted that Frances tries to stop herself from spitting.
The broadcaster continued: "But then you look at her, and it's not something that she can stop. And she is trying. She's not in control of it. She's got learning disabilities.
"So, it's a very complex situation because what she does, she will go to spit and then she'll go, 'No, no.' She is trying to stop herself."
Jo's revelation about Frances comes days after Tourette's campaigner John Davidson - whose life inspired the film I Swear - attended the 2026 EE BAFTA Film Awards and shouted the N-word as Sinners stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented the Best Special Visual Effects gong on stage.
Days after the awards ceremony - held at London's Royal Festival Hall on February 22 - John, 54, told Variety he "felt a wave of shame and embarrassment" because of his tics, which are involuntary and do not represent his personal views.
He added: "When my coprolalia tics came out, my stomach just dropped. As always, I felt a wave of shame and embarrassment hit me all at once.
"You want the floor to swallow you up. I wanted to disappear. I wanted to hide - just get away from all the eyes."
John also pointed out other times where his tics - caused by the neurological condition - took over during the ceremony.
He said: "For example, when the chair of BAFTA started speaking on Sunday, I shouted, 'Boring.'
"On Sunday, Alan Cumming joked about his own sexuality and, when referencing Paddington Bear, said, 'Maybe you would like to come home with me, Paddington. It wouldn’t be the first time I have taken a hairy Peruvian bear home with me.'
"This resulted in homophobic tics from me and led to a shout of 'paedophile' that was likely triggered because Paddington Bear is a children’s character."
John noted he "ticked perhaps 10 different offensive words on the night of the awards", rather than "one single slur".
He said: "Tourette’s can make my body or voice do things I don’t mean, and sometimes those tics land on the worst possible words.
"I want to be really clear that the intent behind them is zero. What you’re hearing is a symptom - not my character, not my thought, not my belief."
BAFTA takes "full responsibility" after John shouted the racial slur at Michael, 39, and 73-year-old Delroy - whom the latter told Vanity Fair at one of the official after-parties that he wished “someone from BAFTA spoke to us (himself and Michael) afterwards”.
It added in a statement: "Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage at the time, and we apologise unreservedly to them, and to all those impacted.
"We would like to thank Michael and Delroy for their incredible dignity and professionalism.
"During the ceremony, John chose to leave the auditorium and watch the rest of the ceremony from a screen, and we would like to thank him for his dignity and consideration of others, on what should have been a night of celebration for him."
The BBC - which aired the BAFTAs on BBC One with a two-hour delay - apologised for airing the racial slur and later removed the ceremony from iPlayer.
