Kirsty Young says she is now feeling ‘pretty good’ after fibromyalgia diagnosis

BBC radio presenter Kirsty Young has said she is now feeling “pretty good” after being diagnosed with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS).

The 56-year-old, who presents BBC Radio 4 podcast Young Again, admitted she also had days where she felt “less good”, but said it helped to keep in a routine, while speaking to the How To Fail With Elizabeth Day podcast.

The NHS says FMS is a long-term condition that causes pain and fatigue across the body.

Young stepped down from hosting Desert Island Discs in 2018 after being diagnosed with the condition and rheumatoid arthritis, which causes swollen and painful joints, according to the NHS.

Speaking about her health conditions, she told the podcast: “I’m very fortunate because I was able to completely reshape my life to make sure that I could take time out to take care of myself, to find the right medication, to find the right lifestyle to support my wellness.

“It has at times been very difficult, and painful and excruciating, and frustrating, and all those things, and right now I’m pretty good.

“I mean, it has little flares and I have to be mindful of the sort of pain stuff, but I do things that are important to keep me on an even keel.

“And the thing is with the sort of immunosuppressed or rheumatological complaints, if you do the same thing all the time it’s good for your body.

“So sometimes that’s compatible with work and not compatible, and sometimes you can’t control the stress factors in your life and all that, and it can flare up, but generally I would say I’m pretty good, and sometimes less good, and that’s also fine.”

Young has fronted various big events since leaving her radio show including the BBC’s Platinum Jubilee and D-Day programme.

On the podcast, she spoke about making her return to broadcasting on the jubilee coverage in 2022, telling presenter Day she “hadn’t been on air for four years” before the event.

Young said: “I hadn’t done anything, so the BBC asked me to anchor, and it was three days of coverage, it was a very big deal, obviously, Platinum Jubilee, very big deal.

“I said to my husband, (it’s like) I haven’t even done the school run in a Fiat Punto for four years, and somebody said you want to go round Brands Hatch in a McLaren, and I’ve said, I’m the woman for the job.

“So I needed to just remind myself, and so when I was in the make-up chair, I just did a little bit of meditation, just shut myself down and it was very helpful.”

Young has previously told Radio 4’s Today programme that she finds it “very uncomfortable” to talk about her health.