BBC Strictly star Chris McCausland 'distraught' as health condition cruelly mocked
Strictly Come Dancing's Chris McCausland has spoken candidly about the ridicule he faced over his deteriorating vision during his school years. In a heart-to-heart with LBC's James O'Brien on the Full Disclosure podcast, the 47 year old comedian discussed how his progressive visual condition, retinitis pigmentosa, shaped his life and the challenges he encountered.
Chris detailed that at first, his deteriorating eyesight in early childhood didn't change his peers behaviour towards him; however, as they matured, the dynamic changed. He spoke of the lasting effects of childhood traumas, even those not typically classified as such but those causing any level of distress or stress.
He shared: "When you're young, a lot of the memories you have are of trauma or bad things, and not even a trauma from what we could consider to be trauma, but just things that obviously caused distress or stress just to even a moderate degree, they kind of stay burned in your mind."
The comic then recounted one particularly vivid memory etched into his mind from an episode at school.
He conveyed: "I still remember in one school assembly where we had to stand up and say something that we'd got that year and my teacher said, 'Well you should say about your new glasses', and she said, 'But I think you should say spectacles'", reports the Manchester Evening News.
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Chris McCausland has the condition retinitis pigmentosa (Image: PA)"And I remember doing this thing and standing up in the class and saying, 'This year I got some new spectacles' and all the other kids laughed."
Chris recalled a painful childhood experience, saying: "But they didn't laugh with me, they laughed at me with what I'd said, and I remember being so upset about that. I was so distraught that all these kids had laughed at me about this thing, and it's mad."
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Chris continued: "And so the kids around me probably don't notice the slight differences happening that I don't notice happening in terms of struggling to see the blackboard, but I do remember that being a thing."
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Reflecting on the irony of his past experiences, Chris said: "The irony is, obviously, scarred as a child from a room full of people laughing at me, to now desiring a room full of people to laugh at me."
Currently, comedian Chris McCausland is impressing viewers on Strictly Come Dancing, paired with professional dancer Dianne Buswell. She recently praised him on Instagram, saying: "Mind blown yet again by this incredible man @chrismccauslandcomedy thank you for trusting me with every step we take! Even though sometimes what I'm asking you to do must sound so bonkers half/all of the time."
Dianne expressed her gratitude, saying: "Thank you all so much for your votes and your kind words we see them and they really do help us push along. Week four let's have ya."
BBC Strictly star Chris McCausland 'distraught' as health condition cruelly mocked
BBC Strictly star Chris McCausland 'distraught' as health condition cruelly mocked
BBC Strictly star Chris McCausland 'distraught' as health condition cruelly mocked
BBC Strictly star Chris McCausland 'distraught' as health condition cruelly mocked
BBC Strictly star Chris McCausland 'distraught' as health condition cruelly mocked
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