Health: Celebs own up to hearing loss to raise awareness

Anne Diamond and a string of celebrities have recorded video messages of support for the charity Action on Hearing Loss.

In her message, Anne Diamond admits for the first time she’s deaf in one ear. She says: ‘I have some form of hearing loss right now, after nearly 30 years of wearing a television earpiece. It’s what we call a talkback and I’ve always had it rather too loud.

‘While I don’t need to wear a hearing aid right now, I have been warned that I probably will need one quite soon. That’s why I’m supporting the Action on Hearing Loss campaign; to reach out to the four million people in the UK who, like me, have some sort of hearing loss and who would benefit from wearing a hearing aid but have done nothing about it yet.

‘I can’t possibly imagine not being able to do the job I love, or even the simple everyday things like sitting round a family table and enjoying a meal and being able to listen to the conversation around me.

‘Yet, with the help of Action on Hearing Loss, there’s no need to miss out on life. They provide a simple, free hearing check that you can do in your own home, explain what to expect from your doctor, and make the whole world of hearing aids so much simpler.’

Soap actress Rita Simons, One Foot In The Grave stars Richard Wilson and Annette Wilson, and deaf actress Genevieve Barr all recorded videos for the charity, formerly called RNID, in support of various campaigns. This includes the free hearing check and removing the stigma of hearing aids. Each video has been subtitled and BSL interpreted.

Action on Hearing Loss director of public engagement Emma Harrison says: ‘We’re really grateful to all our celebrity supporters for taking the time to record these videos; they’ve been great friends of ours over the last 12 months. It’s thanks to their support that more people are completing our hearing check and taking action on their hearing loss sooner.’

To view the videos, please log onto www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk/celebrities