1. Jess Thom experienced vocal and physical tics throughout her childhood as a result of Tourette's syndrome, but was not diagnosed with the condition until her early twenties.
16 Facts About Jess Thom
1. 2.
Jess Thom has recurring vocal tics, the most common of which is the word 'biscuit' which she can utter up to 16,000 times a day.
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Jess Thom has a younger sister, who Jess previously referred to as 'Fat Sister' in a vocal tic whilst she was dieting.
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Jess Thom acknowledges that her condition presents challenges but seeks to avoid 'self-pity or mockery' and to 'celebrate the creativity and humour of Tourette's'.
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Jess Thom is 'brave' for all sorts of reasons, but not because she is disabled.
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Jess Thom has recounted one particularly bad experience in multiple interviews, when she went to see comedian Mark Thomas perform at Tricycle Theatre.
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Jess Thom studied at the Royal College of Art, London, graduating in 2005.
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Jess Thom has been a fundraiser and project coordinator at a charity based in south London.
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The idea started out as a way of engaging people with the creative and humorous side of Tourette's, with Jess Thom dressing up in a superhero costume and delivering performances and workshops, especially to children and young people.
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Jess Thom described it as "extraordinarily entertaining" awarding it four stars.
11.
Jess Thom appeared on ITV's This Morning in May 2012 and was interviewed at length by Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby.
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In March 2013, Jess Thom appeared on RTE's Saturday Night Show with Brendan O'Connor.
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In October 2015, Jess Thom was interviewed on BBC's Russel Howard's Good News, with the broadcast apparently reaching some 3 million people.
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In 2016, Jess Thom appeared on series 10 of Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast.
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Jess Thom has been an outspoken critic of the UK Government's cuts to provision for disabled people, telling Disability Arts Online:.
16.
In December 2019, along with 42 other leading cultural figures, Jess Thom signed a letter endorsing the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership in the 2019 general election.