Mike and Zara Tindall

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Mike Tindall, pictured with his wife Zara Tindall, shared an update on his father’s Parkinson’s

Mike Tindall has given a sad update on his father Philip’s ongoing struggle with Parkinson’s disease. The husband of Zara Tindall first learned of his father’s condition around the time of the Men’s Rugby World Cup in Australia in 2003, when he was part of the England squad.

The 47-year old has subsequently become deeply committed to championing the Parkinson’s community through fundraising initiatives, awareness-raising efforts and his involvement with Cure Parkinson’s.

More than two decades after his father’s diagnosis, Princess Anne’s son-in-law has disclosed that his dad “is not doing great at the moment”.

“Parkinson’s is brutal and there is no let up from how it attacks the body and changes people,” he told Hello! Magazine at his annual charity tournament, the ISPS Handa Celebrity Golf Classic.

“After 23 (plus) years of the disease, it has quite honestly left him a shell of what he once was, which is why I don’t want anyone else to see a parent or loved one suffer and have their quality of life decline so massively.”

An individual, dressed in a blue rugby jersey adorned with various colored stripes, stands confidently on a field under the illumination of stadium lights.

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Mike Tindall was told about his father’s Parkinson’s during the Rugby World Cup in 2003

The NHS states that there is presently no cure for Parkinson’s disease, though treatments exist to help control the primary symptoms and preserve quality of life for as long as feasible.

These encompass supportive therapies including physiotherapy and occupational therapy, medication and, in certain cases, brain surgery.

Mike has previously disclosed that his dad had been experiencing difficulties with small, cramped handwriting – termed micrographia – which can be amongst the early warning signs of Parkinson’s.

He explained that, being “a typical northern bloke”, it took Philip considerable time to consult a specialist, which eventually resulted in his Parkinson’s diagnosis.

The primary symptoms of Parkinson’s disease include involuntary shaking of parts of the body (tremors), slow movement, and stiff or inflexible muscles.

The NHS also notes that those living with Parkinson’s can experience a broad spectrum of additional physical and psychological symptoms.

A newlywed couple, the bride in a white wedding gown and veil, and the groom in formal attire, are walking down the street, accompanied by a photographer capturing the moment.

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Mike and Zara on their wedding day in 2011

Speaking to specialists from Charco Neurotech for The Charco Blog, the former rugby international revealed that over the years, his father has encountered growing difficulties.

One instance was when he was “in and out of a wheelchair” at Mike and Zara’s wedding in 2011, following surgery on his back to tackle another complication of his Parkinson’s – curvature of the spine.

This condition is often referred to as camptocormia (forward bending of the spine) and can involve other posture-related spinal changes.

Looking back, Mike said he wished he had known more about Parkinson’s at the time so he could have potentially supported his father more effectively.

“I feel that if I’d have taken more notice then, I could have made him get on top of staying physically fit and in shape – but that’s all hindsight because it’s the knowledge that I have now that might not have been there in 2003,” he added.