Michael J. Fox opens up about ‘seven years of denial’ following Parkinson disease diagnosis

Michael J. Fox has recently explained how Parkinson’s disease affected his acting career at the 13th Governors Awards over the weekend.

According to Daily Mail, the Back to the Future alum received Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the event after which he gave his 13-minute acceptance speech.

“I was on top of the world. I had a hit television show, two movies in the can and it was all good in the neighbourhood,” said the 61-year-old

The actor revealed, “Somewhere in there around 29, I was diagnosed with Parkinson's. I was told I only had 10 years left to work. That's what happened.”

“The hardest part of my diagnosis was grappling with the certainty of the diagnosis and the uncertainty of the situation,” remarked the Teen Wolf actor.

The Family Ties star stated, “I only knew that it would get worse. The diagnosis was definite. The progress was indefinite and uncertain.”

Earlier, Michael disclosed in his 2002 memoir Lucky Man on how became depressed and began drinking alcohol following his diagnosis. However, he eventually got sober after his wife Tracy Pollan’s “indifferent look” on her face.

“I entered into seven years of denial, trying to make sense of it all. The kid who left Canada, convinced that he would make anything happen just by working hard and by believing, now had a tall order in front of him. I told very few people. And they kept my secret,” shared Michael.

The actor went public about his disease in 1998 but what happened next was “remarkable”.

“The outpouring of support from the public at large and the beautiful reaction from all of my peers in the entertainment business. It was transformative,” declared the Life With Mikey actor.

Meanwhile, Michael finally retired from acting after voicing Michael J. Bird in Michael Mankowski’s Back Home Again in 2021.