ITV Good Morning Britain star says he will 'get on with it' after Parkinson's diagnosis

An ITV Good Morning Britain star has defiantly said he will "get on with it" after being diagnosed with Parkinson's. John Stapleton appeared in the ITV studio on Wednesday (October 23) where he discussed the sombre diagnosis with former co-stars.

ITV and BBC legend John told Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley: "I'm doing fine, I'm coping, learning to live with it! I think I'm fairly pragmatic about it, there's no point being miserable. There's no point in being miserable or trying to change anything, it won't ever change. It won't ever change, Parkinson’s is here with me now for the rest of my life.

"Best I can do is try and control it and take the advice of all the experts I'm talking to." After receiving the diagnosis, John said he told medical staff: "I've got it, get on with it!" Discussing his symptoms, John said: "About two or three years ago, it started with a tremor.

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"I went to see a specialist, he didn't think it was Parkinson’s, he thought it was a thing called benign essential tremor." He continued: "So I went back and of course he did confirm, about two to three months ago, he confirmed it was indeed Parkinson’s. Also, I had other symptoms as well - difficulty swallowing, handwriting going, I would find myself writing tiny letters that no one else could decipher, feeling fatigued a lot of the time when I wouldn't do otherwise and of course the voice.

"The voice has lost a lot of its resonance so I have to speak louder! I've got a speech therapist who has helped me a great deal, teaching me to speak more loudly." Taking to BBC Morning Live earlier this week, John said: "Speaking is how I’ve earned my living for the best part of 50 years!

"It’s very frustrating sometimes, particularly [when] people are constantly saying to you, 'Sorry, what did you say?' And you have to repeat yourself, time and time again. I am fairly pragmatic about the prospect of this getting worse. I try to remain positive, because what’s the point of not being?"