‘A huge wake-up call’: Lisa McHugh on harrowing year of ill health as she makes Late Late return

“I just completely forgot about looking after myself.”

Lisa McHugh has opened up on her harrowing year of ill health, saying it has been “a huge wake-up call”.

Having been diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) earlier this year, the country star spoke to Patrick Kielty as she made an emotional return to The Late Late Show on Friday night.

The Co Fermanagh-based mum-of-two shared what it was like to receive the diagnosis, how she took a break from music this summer to focus on her recovery and what’s next for her as she returns to the stage.

READ MORE: Lisa McHugh leads Late Late Show line-up to discuss her recent health diagnosisREAD MORE: Nathan Carter shares the one reason he would take a break from his busy music career

During the summer, Lisa spent 10 days in hospital after temporarily losing the use of both her legs and suffering “excruciating” pain in her face and head.

She underwent multiple tests and was eventually diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder.

“It basically means that there’s a nervous system problem and your brain is not sending the signals properly to your limbs or to your body. They call it a software problem in your brain and not a hardware problem. I just completely forgot about looking after myself,” she added.

Lisa admitted that she “essentially burned myself out completely” while her baby daughter was “in and out of hospital” and she was trying “to go back to work, do my singing, be a mum, be a wife, be a daughter”.

She added: “But it’s when they do all the examinations, they do all the bloods, they do the CTs, and the results come back normal, but your symptoms are very real. People have seizures. They have speech problems. They’ve tremors. They have weakness, which is what I have.

“I had never heard of it when I was diagnosed; I had never heard of it at all. But since I have shared my story, the thousands of messages that I have had from people to say that they’re going through something similar and they’ve been sent home and they’ve no help… They don’t know where to turn or what to do and they’re really, really struggling. It’s mind-blowing the amount of people that are so ill.”

Lisa said her illness had been caused by “purely stress – stress and burnout”.

“I’m doing what I am doing, and [what] I love to do is touring, as you well know, touring around the country. And you’re eating at the wrong times. You’re eating the wrong food. You’re not getting enough sleep. You’re going home then late at night and getting up first thing in the morning with the kids, being a mum again.

“And then you’re going to do the shop in the local shop. You’re trying to squeeze in everything and wear every hat you can. And in that time, I just completely forgot about looking after myself. It was a huge wake-up call.”

Lisa also praised the “amazing” medical care she is receiving as she thanked fans for all their good wishes.

“From the very first video I shared, the amount of flowers and messages and cards and mass cards and phone calls. And honestly, it’s still happening to this day. You know, I have always said I have the best fans in the world, and you can say, ‘Oh, that’s really clichéd to say that’, but I genuinely… I couldn’t have got through the last few months without all the support, all the prayers, all the messages, and they really have kept me going.”

And she says she is “getting there” as she continues her recovery: “I don’t want to give anyone the impression that I’ve waved a magic wand and, you know, everything is 100% again, because I’m definitely still on the recovery journey.

“[I] still get tired. I’m still, you know, doing small bits and then resting. I have to manage my energy, and I have to completely change the way my life is – and it has – and the way it will be going forward. And yeah, I enjoy singing, as I always have done, and I want to do more of that, but I really have to ease myself in gently and look after myself.”

Lisa then performed her own Christmas song, Home with a Heartbeat, much to the delight of the Late Late audience.

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