Billie Eilish opens up about struggles of having Tourette’s as a pop star

Billie Eilish has just shared her battle with suppressing her tics during public appearances as she opened up about having Tourette's.

The American singer has appeared on the Good Hang podcast with Amy Poehler and said it was a struggle to keep her tics in check the whole time.

Billie also said she struggles with people's lack of understanding around the condition, especially towards those who do not have the ability to suppress.

Tourette's syndrome is a condition that usually begins in childhood and is characterised by involuntary motor and vocal tics.

Revealing how she restrains her tics during interviews, she explained, “I go through phases of words becoming tics, but there's this thing called suppressing. If you've ever heard of it.”

The 24-year-old continued, “And when I'm in an interview I'm doing everything in my power to suppress all of my tics constantly and as soon as I leave the room I have to let them all out with whatever.”

Billie went on to explain what worries her about the education surrounding Tourette's and said, “I think what's troubling about who do not understand what Tourette's is, if I start having a tic attack people are like 'are you okay?'”

“But it's like this is very much normal and like I didn't notice. If you didn't see me tic today, then you aren't looking at my knees which are ticcing constantly under this table and my elbows, I'm clenching my arms the entire time, [shows hand movement] and I'm doing this for the entire time,” the Ocean Eyes hitmaker explained.

'But currently because I'm on camera and I'm having a conversation and I'm trying not to be distracting, I'm really doing this whole time as much fun as I'm having - I'm doing everything I can to suppress every single tic that is visible from the top of my head to about right here [points to her waist],” the singer added.

“That's how we, people with Tourette's, pretty much spend our days. Some people don't even have the privilege of getting to suppress them at all, in any way. The not understanding of that is really frustrating as a person with Tourette's'.”

Billie Eilish was diagnosed with Tourette's when she was 11 years old and addressed the disorder publicly she hand an uncontrollable tic while appearing on season four of David Letterman's Netflix talk show My Next Guest Needs No Introduction in 2022.