Kirsty Young Opens Up About Living With Chronic Pain: “It’s Very Isolating”

Broadcaster Kirsty Young has spoken candidly about the loneliness of living with chronic pain, describing it as a “very isolating” experience.

The former Desert Island Discs presenter stepped away from the show in 2018 after being diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a condition that causes widespread pain and severe fatigue.

In an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Young revealed the emotional toll her condition has taken on her, saying she felt “hollowed out by it.”

She admitted that she experienced feelings of “failure and shame” and was often reluctant to discuss her condition with others.

“It’s very isolating,” Young told presenter Emma Barnett. “Even people I worked closely with, friends, were surprised. They said, ‘Oh, I didn’t know,’ and I thought, well, of course you didn’t know because I didn’t talk about it. It was a little private horror.”

In addition to fibromyalgia, Young also suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, a condition that causes pain, swelling, and stiffness in the joints.

These two long-term conditions are often linked, and together they have had a significant impact on her life.

Kirsty Young explained that she felt self-conscious discussing her condition, especially given that others may be facing more severe health challenges.

“There are people dealing with stage three cancer, so why am I going to talk about chronic pain?” she said. “But if you’re living with chronic pain day in, day out, that’s a hell of a thing to deal with.”

Despite her reluctance, Young emphasized the importance of taking chronic pain seriously, both for individuals and for the healthcare system.

She recalled how one doctor “snorted” when she suggested she might have fibromyalgia, highlighting the challenges patients face in being taken seriously.

“I understand the demands on the NHS,” she said, “but it would benefit the overstretched health service to take people with chronic pain seriously, rather than just handing out painkillers or heavy antidepressants.”

After stepping down from Desert Island Discs, Young returned to broadcasting for major BBC events, including coverage of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee and the monarch’s funeral in 2022.

She later returned to Desert Island Discs as a guest, where she spoke about her experience with fibromyalgia in an interview with her successor, Lauren Laverne.