Hollyoaks star Lysette Anthony reveals she has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s

Hollyoaks star Lysette Anthony has revealed she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s on the week she joined the Channel 4 soap.

The actress, who played Marnie Nightingale, was first diagnosed six years ago and said was a "relief" to be able to talk about it.

Only her co-star Gregory Finnegan, who plays James Nightingale in the soap, knew from the beginning, she told OK! magazine.

Billy Connolly and Michael J. Fox, who are both living with Parkinson's, inspired her to open up about her diagnosis, she said.

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Ms Anthony, 58, said she first became concerned when she experienced tremors while she tried to light a cigarette. She did not make the connection with Parkinson's until after hearing Sir Billy talking about it on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs.

"It’s a broad church, Parkinson’s, so it doesn’t necessarily mean ABC, but it’s not great," she told OK! Magazine.

Ms Anthony, who left the soap in January, said: "I decided to, well, brave it and speak out now because there is no cure and I need to be a part of the cure, but also because my symptoms have got worse," she said.

"I’ve made my peace in many ways, in terms of I now call my add-on Parky. "If I do too much it will basically shut me down and paralyse my, or my hands won’t work."

Parkinson’s is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world, and currently there is no cure. 

In the UK, around 145,000 people are already living with Parkinson’s. 

There are more than 40 symptoms associated with Parkinson's, the condition affects everyone differently and not everyone will experience all the symptoms.