A teenager has revealed how she developed Tourette's aged 13 and can now have tic episodes that last up to seven hours.

Jodie Lynn, 37, first noticed that her eldest child Nicole was blinking and sticking her tongue out “way too much” just one week after her 13th birthday in March 2020.

The concerned mother-of-three decided to film Nicole's unusual behaviour after her daughter started to whistle, clap and swear at random times weeks after her birthday.

Nicole said: "When it started, I was very confused, and I didn't know what was happening.

"I just became aware that I was doing things and saying stuff that I couldn't control, and then it was actually my nan who suggested Tourette's.

"I feel a lot better about my tics now. I don't feel as nervous or as scared to go out in public like I did before. It's just a part of me and I don't worry as much now.

"Every time I had a tic when I was outside, someone would stare or say something. I used to get nervous when people gave me strange looks, but now I realise they just didn't understand or know what it was."