Ozzy Osbourne reveals Parkinson's diagnosis after 'terribly challenging' year
Ozzy Osbourne has shared that he has a form of Parkinson's disease after keeping his health struggles private for nearly a year.
The 71-year-old opened up on his diagnosis in an interview on Good Morning America today where he was joined by his wife Sharon, who explained his condition.
"It's Parkin 2," Sharon stated. "There's so many different types of Parkinson's; it's not a death sentence by any stretch of the imagination, but it does affect certain nerves in your body. And it's -- it's like you have a good day, a good day, and then a really bad day."
Read more: Sharon Osbourne can't get through Ozzy's new song with Elton John without crying
Parkinson’s disease is a condition where parts of the brain become damaged over a number of years, affecting motor skills and movement. While it cannot be cured, medication can help control symptoms.
It comes after last February saw the rocker suffer a horror fall in the home he shares with his wife, leaving him requiring surgery.
The couple have said that it has been a struggle for doctors to differentiate between which of Ozzy's symptoms have come as a result of surgery and which are from his Parkinson's diagnosis as a result.
Read more: What is Parkinson’s disease?
Speaking about the family's troubling year, Ozzy said: "I had to have surgery on my neck which screwed all my nerves in. I've got numbness down this arm from the surgery. My legs feel going cold, I don't know if that's Parkinson's or what... It's a weird feeling."
The Black Sabbath singer revealed he is on a “really low dose” of Parkinson’s medication to help alleviate his symptoms, as well as taking nerve pills.
Ozzy disclosed that he had been keeping his diagnosis a secret, but that he couldn't stay quiet any longer as he was "running out of excuses".
Meanwhile, Sharon said they would be seeking help from an immune systems specialist in Switzerland after discovering they "couldn't go any further" with doctors in the US in regard to getting answers.
Back in October, Ozzy announced he would be postponing European tour dates as he continued to recover from his fall.
In a video to his fans he assured them he was "not dying" after being put on bed rest.