Popular internet star Lele Pons has revealed what it is like to suffer from Tourette’s Syndrome, a condition where a person makes involuntary sounds or movements called tics.
Venezuelan creator Lele Pons is well-known online for her comedy sketches, music, and acting. She boasts nearly 17 million subscribers on YouTube, and 40 million followers on Instagram.
Lele Pons is currently the subject of a five-part docuseries on YouTube looking at her childhood, career and struggles with mental health. In the second episode of “The Secret Life of Lele Pons”, she also revealed that she suffers from OCD.
In episode three, Lele is filmed addressing her Tourettes with her therapist Dr. Katia Moritz who says “Lele has become an expert at hiding her tics, so people that didn’t know she has tics would not notice them because she incorporates them in her movements.
“Her snaps and he stretches look like part of her normal interactions when in reality they are tics.”
Clinical Psychologist Dr. Jonathan Hoffman said “People can live their life as public figures and actually demonstrate a lot of tics and nobody ever notices”
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Lele shows her tics for the first time in this episode and addresses how it has affected her life and her career. She said: “I’m motivated to get better, I don’t want to continue like this.”
Praise has poured out for the internet star since the episode has aired. One commenter on YouTube wrote: “As a mother with a 2-year-old son who has a speech delay, this made me cry. It really hurts when a parent is seeing their child struggle and they can’t do much to help. Big long hugs for you Lele”
More than 12,000 people liked a comment which read “Who else didn’t know Lele had this much going on in her life?”, which Lele herself also liked. She has been the subject of much criticism over her years in the spotlight, but this YouTube Originals series has shown her in a new light altogether.
Two more episodes are left of the series, which will be released on Tuesday, June 16, and Tuesday, June 23 on her YouTube Channel.