The One Show star says living with the incurable disease is “very difficult” | TV & Radio | Showbiz & TV

The One Show became emotional as Springwatch presenter Chris Packham spoke about the “difficulty” of living with a terminal illness.

Chris Packham hosted a key segment on the BBC programme raising awareness of hearing loss and breaking down the stigma around men wearing hearing aids. Chris has been wearing hearing aids since he was diagnosed with Meniere’s disease in his 30s.

Meniere’s disease is a rare and incurable disease of the inner ear that can lead to balance and hearing problems as well as tinnitus, dizziness and hearing loss.

Chris spoke about his own experiences on the show and revealed: “For me to truly appreciate nature, I not only have to be able to see it – I have to be able to hear it. I have to be able to listen to nature.”

“But I don’t take my hearing for granted. In the early 1990s, I began suffering from a condition called Meniere’s syndrome, which caused hearing loss in my right ear.

“It was really hard to lose my hearing, but I realized that something had to change if I wanted to enjoy life and nature the way I wanted to.”

He added: “I needed hearing aids. They really helped me – but over 30% of men say they are too embarrassed to wear a hearing aid.”

Later in the segment, Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel spoke about his own experience with hearing aids, admitting: “I had my eyes corrected and nobody said anything about it. So I thought… I might as well be able to hear properly.”

He lived with poor hearing for years until a specialist referred him for a hearing test in 2022. He admitted: “Like most people, I thought hearing aids would make me look old.”

However, he admitted that the change was worth it: “I was able to hear conversations that I couldn’t otherwise hear unless I was looking them straight in the eye and seeing what they were saying.”

“I should have done this a long, long time ago,” he admitted. Chris explained how he can connect his hearing aids to his phone – and even use them to listen to music or make phone calls.

One expert also reported how much they have evolved over the years – they have become smaller and more discreet.