Kirsty reveals health battle
Scottish presenter Kirsty Young revealed she is suffering from a debilitating longterm condition known as fibromyalgia as she yesterday stepped down as host of popular Radio 4 show Desert Island Discs.
“Casting away some of the world’s most fascinating people is a wonderful job. However, I’m having to take some time away ...”
KIRSTY YOUNG
Desert Island Discs host Kirsty Young will be stepping away from the Radio 4 show for a “number of months” as she is suffering from a form of fibromyalgia.
Fellow broadcaster Lauren Laverne, 40, will host the longrunning show while Young is away.
Fibromyalgia, also called fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), is a long-term condition that causes pain all over the body, according to the NHS.
Young, 49, from East Kilbride, said in a statement: “Casting away some of the world’s most fascinating people is a wonderful job. However, I’m having to take some time away from Desert Island Discs as I’m suffering from a form of fibromyalgia.
“I wish Lauren all the very best. I know she will be great. And I very much look forward to getting back to good health and back to work.”
Laverne said: “It’s a huge honour to be asked to cover my favourite programme on behalf of one of my heroes.
“As a listener first and foremost, I know what a special place Desert Island Discs holds in the hearts of the British public.
“So much of that is down to the warmth, wit and peerless skill of Kirsty Young. I wish Kirsty better and will do my very best to look after Desert Island Discs until her return.”
Desert Island Discs returns on 16 September and Young will host the first two episodes, with castaways opera singer Danielle de Niese and neurosurgeon Henry Marsh.
Young – the former anchor of 5 News – recently won praise for her coverage of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s wedding.
She took over from Sue Lawley as the host of Desert Island Discs in 2006 and has enjoyed success in the role.
Laverne will host the third episode of Desert Island Discs onwards and will continue to present her weekday midmorning show on BBC Radio 6 Music.
She becomes 6 Music’s new weekday breakfast show presenter in January.
As well as widespread pain, people with fibromyalgia may also experience increased sensitivity to pain, fatigue, muscle stiffness and headaches.
The exact cause of fibromyalgia is unknown, but it is
thought to be related to abnormal levels of certain chemicals in the brain and in many cases appears to be triggered by a physically or emotionally stressful event.
It has also been suggested it is genetic.
The charity Fibromyalgia Action UK said research into the “puzzling” condition had shown most people with fibromyalgia were deprived of deep restorative sleep.
It has also identified a deficiency in serotonin in the central nervous system coupled with a threefold increase in the neurotransmitter substance P, which is found in spinal fluid and transmits pain signals.
This causes disordered sensory processing, meaning the brain registers pain where others might experience a slight ache or stiffness.
There is no known cure for fibromyalgia, but treatment can make the condition easier to live with.
As one of only four presenters of BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs since it began in 1942, Kirsty Young has become an iconic figure of British broadcasting.
The East Kilbride-born Young, who began marooning castaways some 12 years ago, is now to take a break from the programme after developing a form of fibromyalgia, a debilitating and painful condition.
With good-humour, warmth and insightful questioning, Young has helped Desert Island Discs continue as a show that manages to attract more than just Radio 4’s regular listeners. After more than 3,000 episodes, the public’s appetite for one of the longest-running radio programmes in the world is still strong – in 2016, it was estimated that it had an audience of nearly three million people.
While Lauren Laverne will be a more-than-capable substitute host, The Scotsman wishes Young a speedy recovery and hopes she can return to the role she has made her own.
And there will be many, many people – in Scotland, the UK and the wider world – who will join with us in expressing that sentiment.