Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson has issued a statement in response to the media furore surrounding an incident at this year’s Baftas.

On Sunday evening, John attended the awards show alongside the cast and crew of I Swear, a film based on his life story.

Variety reported that before the ceremony got underway, the event’s floor manager told guests that they “might hear some involuntary noises or movements during the ceremony”.

During the first award of the night, presented by Sinners actors Delroy Lindo and Michael B Jordan, John experienced an involuntary tic and shouted the N-word from the audience.

Following the incident – which the BBC included in its coverage of the Baftas, despite it airing on a two-hour time delay – John spoke out in a statement shared by Deadline on Monday night.

He began: “I wanted to thank Bafta and everyone involved in the awards last night for their support and understanding and inviting me to attend the broadcast.

“I appreciated the announcement to the auditorium in advance of the recording, warning everyone that my tics are involuntary and are not a reflection of my personal beliefs. I was heartened by the round of applause that followed this announcement and felt welcomed and understood in an environment that would normally be impossible for me.”

John continued: “In addition to the announcement by Alan Cumming, the BBC and Bafta, I can only add that I am, and always have been, deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning.

“I was in attendance to celebrate the film of my life, I Swear, which, more than any film or TV documentary, explains the origins, condition, traits and manifestations of Tourette Syndrome. I have spent my life trying to support and empower the Tourette’s community and to teach empathy, kindness and understanding from others and I will continue to do so.”

He added: “I chose to leave the auditorium early into the ceremony as I was aware of the distress my tics were causing.”

After Delroy Lindo expressed his disappointment at Bafta’s handling of the incident, the organisation issued a public apology to the Sinners actor and his co-star Michael B Jordan, accepting “full responsibility”.

In a statement to HuffPost UK, Bafta said: “At the Bafta Film Awards last night our guests heard very offensive language that carries incomparable trauma and pain for so many. We want to acknowledge the harm this has caused, address what happened and apologise to all.

“One of our guests, John Davidson MBE, has Tourette Syndrome and has devoted his life to educating and campaigning for better understanding of this condition. Tourette Syndrome causes involuntary verbal tics, that the individual has no control over.

“Such tics are in no way a reflection of an individual’s beliefs and are not intentional. John Davidson is an executive producer of the Bafta-nominated film, I Swear, which is based on his life experience.”

“We take the duty of care to all our guests very seriously and start from a position of inclusion,” the statement continued. “We took measures to make those in attendance aware of the tics, announcing to the audience before the ceremony began, and throughout, that John was in the room and that they may hear strong language, involuntary noises or movements during the ceremony.

“Early in the ceremony a loud tic in the form of a profoundly offensive term was heard by many people in the room. Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage at the time, and we apologise unreservedly to them, and to all those impacted. We would like to thank Michael and Delroy for their incredible dignity and professionalism.

“During the ceremony, John chose to leave the auditorium and watch the rest of the ceremony from a screen, and we would like to thank him for his dignity and consideration of others, on what should have been a night of celebration for him.

“We take full responsibility for putting our guests in a very difficult situation and we apologise to all. We will learn from this, and keep inclusion at the core of all we do, maintaining our belief in film and storytelling as a critical conduit for compassion and empathy.”

Immediately after John’s initial tic, Baftas host Alan Cumming thanked the audience for their “understanding”, apologised later in the evening to anyone “if you are offended tonight”.

As your child is screaming, throwing toys or refusing to listen, it can be easy to say something you don’t really mean when reminding them how they should be acting.

Disciplining kids is tough, especially if you’re also feeling frustrated or mad in the moment. But many of the ways today’s parents were disciplined as children are actually problematic – and experts warn that those approaches shouldn’t trickle down to the next generation.

“Parents discipline the way they were disciplined, even if we don’t realise it,” said Leda Kaveh, a licensed clinical psychologist and owner and director of Washington Psychological Wellness and Washington Insight Solution.

“Parenting behaviours are strongly influenced by early attachment experiences,” Kaveh continued, adding that cultural norms around obedience, as well as chronic stress and financial pressure, play a role.

If you have memories of a parent disciplining you in a way that didn’t feel affirming, there’s a chance you’re doing that to your child, too. (That is, if you haven’t worked through it in therapy or another way.)

Below, therapists share the phrases you really shouldn’t say to kids when disciplining them, and how they can be quite harmful.

Statements like “Why can’t you be more like your brother” – or sister, neighbour, cousin or whoever – are harmful for kids to hear.

It’s “basically a character attack,” said Nicola Pierre-Smith, a licensed professional counsellor and owner of Melanated Women’s Health in Philadelphia.

There’s also a comparison that’s being made, she noted, which can make the child feel like they’re not enough.

Similarly, it may be common for some parents to say things like “you’re acting just like your father” or “just like your mother,” particularly if the parents are divorced or in an unhappy marriage.

Generally, this kind of phrase is used when focusing on negative attributes of a parent or when the identified parent figure is a “villain” within the family, according to Pierre-Smith.

Perhaps your mum is known for acting selfishly. If your dad spits out “You’re acting like your mother” after you act up, you’ll likely associate it with your mum’s “bad” behaviour.

This, too, is a character attack, Pierre-Smith explained. “It’s typically not said when there is a positive attribute to the identified person. It is really meant to be a character attack to the child.”

For a child who gets in trouble at school and comes home to a parent saying things like, “you’re a disappointment” or “you’re stupid,” it can be really damaging.

These kinds of phrases are meant to shame a child, Pierre-Smith said. This is true whether a parent intends to do this or not.

Research shows that children who experience frequent shame are at higher risk of anxiety and depression, and may grow up with self-worth problems.

It’s pretty common for parents to shut down any tears or sensitivity during a tense moment. However, doing this is “teaching the child that certain emotions aren’t valid,” Pierre-Smith said.

Rejecting crying may also lead to children being unable to name their emotions, she added.

Kids who repeatedly hear phrases like this aren’t given the opportunity to develop language around emotions or understand what they’re feeling. “They just categorise them into ‘I’m feeling good’ or ‘I’m feeling bad,’ but not having the language to describe that.”

Most parents have experienced getting swept up in the moment and saying something to their child that they regret. It’s not the one-off outburst that is inflicting harm. Instead, if you repeatedly discipline your child this way, it can be damaging, Kaveh said.

“When a child hears language that dismisses feelings or labels their behaviours as a personal flaw, the brain often shifts it into a stress response,” Kaveh explained.

“Over time, repeated experiences like this are associated with higher stress hormones such as cortisol, increased anxiety and emotional suppression, lower self-esteem and difficulty identifying and managing emotions later in life … It is a pattern over time that matters.”

If you do find yourself saying these phrases again and again, it’s worth thinking about how you were disciplined as a kid and what you may need to do to work through some of those experiences. Your own upbringing might be informing the way you parent, and it can take work to change, but it is possible.

“The encouraging news is that research shows parenting styles are highly adaptable. Increased awareness, education, therapy, moments of repair can significantly improve the parent-child relationships at any stage,” Kaveh said.

If you find it difficult to manage your emotions when you’re frustrated with your kids, there is “no shame in a parent actually reaching out to a professional or even someone in their school to get support with learning skills,” added Pierre-Smith.

“If you look at the research in developmental psychology, it shows that the most effective discipline is both firm and emotionally supportive,” Kaveh said.

“This approach is often also referred to as authoritative parenting, and is consistently associated with better emotional regulation, academic outcomes and mental health,” she noted.

According to Kaveh, effective discipline focuses on teaching, not punishment.

“This includes separating the child from the behaviour, acknowledging emotions while still setting limits and staying calm enough to model regulation,” Kaveh added.

Instead of saying “Stop crying,” you could say something like, “I see you’re really upset. I’m here. We still can’t throw toys, but we can figure out what you need,” she said.

This allows children to feel emotionally understood and receptive to guidance, Kaveh said.

“Feeling safe does not make kids less accountable. It actually makes learning possible,” she said.

Robert Carradine, known to a generation of viewers as Lizzie McGuire’s father in the hit Disney sitcom, has died at the age of 71.

On Monday evening, Robert’s family announced that he had taken his own life, following what they described as a “nearly two-decade battle with bipolar disorder”.

The family said in a statement to Deadline: “It is with profound sadness that we must share that our beloved father, grandfather, uncle and brother Robert Carradine has passed away.

“In a world that can feel so dark, Bobby was always a beacon on light to everyone around him. We are bereft at the loss of this beautiful soul and want to acknowledge Bobby’s valiant struggle against his nearly two-decade battle with bipolar disorder.

“We hope his journey can shine a light and encourage addressing the stigma that attaches to mental illness. At this time we ask for the privacy to grieve this unfathomable loss. With gratitude for your understanding and compassion.”

Robert’s brother Keith added: “We want people to know it, and there is no shame in it. It is an illness that got the best of him, and I want to celebrate him for his struggle with it, and celebrate his beautiful soul.

“He was profoundly gifted, and we will miss him every day. We will take solace in how funny he could be, how wise and utterly accepting and tolerant he was. That’s who my baby brother was.”

Born into the Carradine acting dynasty, Robert got his start in the industry in TV shows like Bonanza and Kung Fu, as well as the films The Cowboys and Mean Streets.

In the mid-1980s, he appeared as Lewis Skolnick in Revenge Of The Nerds, reprising the role in three sequels in the following decade, and later fronting the TV spin-off King Of The Nerds.

To Lizzie McGuire fans, though, he’ll be best remembered for his work as Hilary Duff’s on-screen dad Sam McGuire in both seasons of the teen sitcom and its movie adaptation.

Last year, he appeared alongside Brian Austin Green and Danny Trejo in the Western thriller The Night They Came Home, having completed work on three more movies prior to his death.

Per Deadline, Robert is survived by “his children, grandchildren, brothers, nieces, nephews and anyone who had the honour of having him in their life”.

• Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393.
• Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI – this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill).
• CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) offer a helpline open 5pm-midnight, 365 days a year, on 0800 58 58 58, and a webchat service.
• The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email help@themix.org.uk
• Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0808 801 0525 (Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on rethink.org.

Sinners actor Delroy Lindo has admitted he’s disappointed with the way Bafta reacted to an incident he found himself at the centre of during this year’s ceremony.

On Sunday night, Delroy and Michael B Jordan – who had both been nominated for Baftas off the back of their performances in Sinners – presented the first award of the ceremony, for Best Visual Effects.

During their introductory speech, Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson experienced an involuntary tic and shouted the N-word from the auditorium.

John had been attending the Baftas with the cast and crew of I Swear, a film based on his life story.

After the slur was shouted, the two briefly paused before continuing to present, with host Alan Cumming first thanking the audience for their “understanding” and later apologising to anyone “if you are offended tonight”.

Speaking to Vanity Fair after the event, Delroy said that he and Michael “did what we had to do” by carrying on with the night’s proceedings.

However, he said he wished “someone from Bafta spoke to us afterwards”.

On Monday night, Bafta issued an apology to Delroy and Michael in a lengthy statement, taking “full responsibility” for the incident.

“At the Bafta Film Awards last night our guests heard very offensive language that carries incomparable trauma and pain for so many,” Bafta told HuffPost UK. “We want to acknowledge the harm this has caused, address what happened and apologise to all.

“One of our guests, John Davidson MBE, has Tourette Syndrome and has devoted his life to educating and campaigning for better understanding of this condition. Tourette Syndrome causes involuntary verbal tics, that the individual has no control over.

“Such tics are in no way a reflection of an individual’s beliefs and are not intentional. John Davidson is an executive producer of the Bafta-nominated film, I Swear, which is based on his life experience.”

The statement continued: “We take the duty of care to all our guests very seriously and start from a position of inclusion. We took measures to make those in attendance aware of the tics, announcing to the audience before the ceremony began, and throughout, that John was in the room and that they may hear strong language, involuntary noises or movements during the ceremony.

“Early in the ceremony a loud tic in the form of a profoundly offensive term was heard by many people in the room. Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage at the time, and we apologise unreservedly to them, and to all those impacted. We would like to thank Michael and Delroy for their incredible dignity and professionalism.

“During the ceremony, John chose to leave the auditorium and watch the rest of the ceremony from a screen, and we would like to thank him for his dignity and consideration of others, on what should have been a night of celebration for him.

“We take full responsibility for putting our guests in a very difficult situation and we apologise to all. We will learn from this, and keep inclusion at the core of all we do, maintaining our belief in film and storytelling as a critical conduit for compassion and empathy.”

John also spoke out for the first time on Monday, stating: “I am, and always have been, deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning.”

This article features medical advice from neurologist Baibing Chen.

Anyone who has the pleasure of living with a toddler will know they often like to dart swiftly in the opposite direction, usually with something they shouldn’t have in their mouth.

This isn’t ideal at the best of times, but when said object is a toothbrush, pencil, hard straw or utensil, parents should be moving ultra fast to stop them.

In a video shared on Instagram, neurologist Baibing Chen – who goes by Dr Bing on social media – said if a child falls with an object in their mouth, it doesn’t just hurt. Alarmingly, it could also trigger something as sinister as stroke – even if there’s no bleeding involved.

Dr Bing described how he once saw a young child who had been running around at home with a toothbrush in his mouth. (We all know where this is going…)

Unfortunately the little one fell down and the toothbrush hit the back of his throat. His mum checked the inside of his mouth and couldn’t see any bleeding or obvious injury, so they went about their day as usual.

But later on, Dr Bing revealed the boy suddenly couldn’t move the right side of his body, and he also started having trouble speaking.

While the toothbrush didn’t cut through anything, Dr Bing said the impact from the fall injured the carotid artery in the boy’s neck – “and when that artery gets damaged, and in this case a dissection happened, a clot can form, and that clot can then travel to the brain, [and] block blood flow, causing stroke”.

The neurologist emphasised that the back of the throat sits very close to major blood vessels that supply the brain “and trauma in the area is not always traumatic or bloody, and sometimes the outside looks normal, but the inside is a completely different story”.

In severe cases, the force of the toothbrush hitting the throat (and the artery) can cause a life-threatening haemorrhage.

A review of toothbrush-related injuries in the US found most occurred in children younger than four years old.

Dr Bing urged parents to teach children to not run around with sharp or blunt objects in their mouths. And if they do happen to do it anyway (because kids will be kids), swift intervention is key.

“It’s a simple habit that can prevent a life-changing brain injury,” he ended.

I, for one, will be taking his advice on board.

As much as being an only child can present with its own list of issues in adulthood, growing up in a big family isn’t always the rosy picture it is sometimes made out to be.

Whether you had lots of siblings or step-siblings, or even cousins or grandparents, living with you, it makes sense: when you’re dealing with lots of different people, things can get complicated.

Either there are tons of different personalities that can clash and overshadow one another, or there’s a really strong family culture that makes it hard to embrace your individuality.

A vast majority of us can benefit from therapy, but when it comes to people who grew up in big families, there’s a specific set of issues that therapists see them bring up in sessions again and again.

We spoke to two psychology experts to find out what these are, how they play out, and how people from big families can work through them.

Show us one family that doesn’t have at least some tension come up during big gatherings, please.

“In larger families, you’re dealing with multiple relationships, shifting alliances, and sometimes strained connections between different members,” Saba Harouni Lurie, marriage and family therapist and founder of Take Root Therapy, tells HuffPost. “As adults, this complexity can make family gatherings feel overwhelming or create guilt about being closer to some siblings than others.”

When adults who grew up in large families begin to do self-reflection work, they may find they have some big decisions to make about how to deal with family – and even whether they may need to cut ties with certain (or all) members.

“Part of the work in therapy is learning to accept that you don’t need equal closeness with everyone,” Harouni Lurie said. “We also look at setting boundaries around which events feel manageable and sometimes having direct conversations with family members about what actually works for you.”

Closely related to issues of family dynamics is the issue of “hierarchies” within families, where some people are the loudest and have the most influence over other family members, while others fade into the background.

“For those at the ‘top’ of the hierarchy, this power may be difficult to see, or they may view themselves as a well-meaning or deserved leader,” Candice O’Neil, a counselling psychologist in the U.K. and founder of Ontic Psychology, told HuffPost.

“For those nearer the bottom, it may be experienced as feeling dismissed or diminished; it may lead to their achievements or opinions being seen as less valid or notable than those of individuals nearer the top of the hierarchy.”

The way forward, according to O’Neil, is for each family member, regardless of their position in the food chain, to expand their horizons outside the family unit with friends, peer groups, co-workers, etc.

“This may be uncomfortable for family members near the top of the hierarchy, who may be used to their voice carrying a lot of weight, while for those nearer the bottom it can lead to increased recognition and help them see other ways of being,” O’Neil said.

“In both situations, expanding the family members’ horizons with interactions outside the family unit can help them either listen to less favoured family members more, or help them find ways to convey their opinions to family members further up the hierarchy.”

It’s only human – the more children parents have, the thinner their attention is spread. It’s not the parents’ fault and it can lead to adult children experiencing difficulties related to not having received the amount of attention they needed as kids.

“When there are many kids competing for limited parental attention, children may develop strategies to stand out,” Harouni Lurie said. “Sometimes it’s through achievement and perfectionism, other times through acting out or risky behaviours. What brings people to therapy isn’t always this core issue, but as we work together, they often realise they’re still operating from that childhood place of trying to be noticed.”

Unfortunately, over time these coping strategies can lead to burnout, a lack of self-esteem, and difficulties in relationships.

“The healing process looks different for everyone, but it usually starts with recognising these patterns and understanding where they came from,” Harouni Lurie said. “Then we work on separating your worth from the need to stand out or perform.”

In large families, it’s not uncommon for boundaries to be incredibly porous. “Everyone’s in everyone else’s business, which creates a strong safety net but can make it really hard to develop your own identity or make choices that differ from family expectations,” Harouni Lurie said.

“There’s often this deep sense of duty and obligation that makes it difficult to prioritise your own needs. Adults from these families may struggle with guilt when making independent decisions or feel suffocated by family expectations.”

In these cases, therapy work will consist in practicing setting gentle boundaries that honour who you are as an individual without feeling super guilty for it.

You know how sometimes it’s loneliest in a crowd? Ditto with large families. “You’d think a big family means automatic connection, but some people grow up feeling isolated within the crowd,” Harouni Lurie said.

Here, “the therapeutic work involves identifying what healthy boundaries look like for you specifically” and it may mean asking for more connection from family members and finding out whether they are willing to meet you there.

“Sometimes people also need space to grieve the family dynamic they wished they had while building the one that’s actually sustainable,” adds Harouni Lurie.

In families that have a strong collective identity and preferred way of doing things, it can be really difficult for individuals to distinguish themselves and find out who they really are – because it could cost them connection.

“It is important for an individual to be clear on what family means to them and to consider how much they want to integrate within the family dynamic,” O’Neil said.

“They may consider if differences can be acknowledged and embraced in a way that feels manageable. Can the family learn to be more accepting of individual differences in the wider social realm due to their own experiences?”

The expert advises individual family members focus on their own interests and relationships outside of the family unit to get a stronger sense of who they are.

Progress within a big family may also mean “being curious about who each family member is as an individual and what makes them unique,” O’Neil continued. “It can help to facilitate discussions where this can be explored, but someone can also share who they are and put boundaries in place and acknowledge their limitations. Constructive communication is key.”

When there’s been a lot of hurt in previous generations and an unwillingness to go to therapy or do any kind of self-work due to stigma and other factors, this leads to passed-down trauma that accentuates with each new generation.

Generational trauma “is felt deeply by the individual and can manifest in serious emotional and physical consequences that can persist into later life,” O’Neil said.

When multiple family members are affected, they can also trigger one another easily when they interact, deepening the hurt.

“It is important to have compassion, empathy and understanding for each other as individuals, but it is key to gently initiate conversations where boundaries are initiated for future interactions that respect lived experiences and selfhood,” O’Neil said.

“I advocate for individuals to seek professional therapy and practice self-compassion around those painful lived experiences. Journaling is also a great way to express feelings without being inhibited by how something lands with another person involved.”

Lord Peter Mandelson has been released on bail following his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

The former Labour minister and US ambassador was taken into custody by detectives on Monday evening.

He has been accused of passing on market sensitive information to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein when he was business secretary in the wake of the global financial crash.

Two of his properties have been searched by police. Mandelson denies any wrongdoing.

In a statement issued just after 2am on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: “A 72-year-old man arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office has been released on bail pending further investigation.

“He was arrested at an address in Camden on Monday, 23 February and was taken to a London police station for interview.

“This follows search warrants at two addresses in the Wiltshire and Camden areas.

“We are not able to provide further information at this stage to prevent prejudicing the integrity of the investigation.”

Television footage on Monday showed a plain clothed police officer leading Lord Mandelson out of his house.

He then got into the left rear seat of a waiting unmarked Ford Focus police car.

Mandelson was sacked as the UK’s ambassador to Washington last September, just seven months after being appointed by Keir Starmer, after more details emerged about his links to Epstein.

The fresh allegations about his conduct followed the release of millions of documents about Epstein by the US Department of Justice last month.

Earlier this month, the scandal led to the resignation of No.10 chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, who said he was taking responsibility for advising the PM to give Mandelson the plum diplomatic role.

Mandelson also resigned his seat in the House of Lords, although he still retains his title.

His arrest comes just days after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, another former associate of Epstein, was also arrested over allegations he committed misconduct in a public office when he was a UK trade envoy.