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Glenn Beck reveals his secret illness

glenn beck
The Blaze

Conservative talk show host Glenn Beck told fans that for the past few years, he’s been suffering from a mysterious neurological illness. Missouri School of Journalism professors Jim Fink, Jamie Grey and Amy Simons discuss the issue.

For more, follow Views of the News on Facebook and Twitter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DX9fFN5lJa8

During an hour-long episode called "The Story Begins," Beck said he did not immediately reveal his health problems for a wide range of reasons, but he wanted to talk about them now because he’s been able to at least stall the disease’s progression.

Professor Jamie Grey said she's surprised Beck has been able to keep his illness a secret for so long.

"Even if he wasn't telling many people, if you tell a few people something, especially in this type of industry, especially when you're talking about a personality who can be as polarizing as Glenn Beck, I'm pretty shocked it didn't come out."

Beck described using hand signals with his camera team and producer that would let them know when he was experiencing too much pain and other ways that he has avoided sharing his condition.

Professor Jim Flink said he didn't want to take away from the severity of Beck's illness, but many people suffer from similar neurological disorders every day.

"As a person who was on-camera for 20 years, [I feel] when you have a stage every day, your skew on reality gets a little bit askew, that is to say you forget that the things that are happening to you happen to a lot of people."

For more, follow Views of the News on Facebook and Twitter.  

Hope Kirwan left KBIA in September 2015.
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