Michael J. Fox has opened up about his ongoing battle with Parkinson's - 30 years after his life-changing diagnosis.

The 60-year-old Back To The Future star was diagnosed when he was 29 years old. He was newly married to his wife, actress Tracy Pollan at the time.

"So very early in the marriage, she got this dumped on her. And the moment that I told her I was realizing was the last time we cried about it together. We haven't cried about Parkinson's since.

"We've just dealt with it and lived our lives. But we cried about it that first time," Fox told CBS Mornings.

Fox said he struggles with some of life's basic day-to-day functions, including going out to dinner with his family.

"I have a wheelchair that I use every now and then and it still sucks. I have a hard time getting to a restaurant and up the stairs to where my family's eating perhaps at a dinner. But then I'm there with my son and my three daughters and my wife, and friends of ours. And it's just like, that's great," he explained.

And while his diagnosis does come with its challenges, Fox admits he's fully aware of what he can control and what he can't.

"I thought, 'Who am I to tell people, cheer up? Who am I to tell people it's gonna be okay? Who am I to tell people 'Have a positive attitude," the actor said.

Elsewhere in the interview, Fox said living with Parkinson's is a "heavy thing" - however, he is determined to remain optimistic.

"And I really felt so much weight of that public persona being Mr. Optimist. And I still am Mr. Optimist. And I knew and in some small way, I knew in that moment, as dark as it was, that I would get back to that at some point," he said.

Fox first went public with his battle with the neurodegenerative disorder back in 1998.

In 2000, the actor launched the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's research, which is "dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson's disease through an aggressively funded research agenda and to ensuring the development of improved therapies for those living with Parkinson's today".

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Michael J. Fox has given a heartbreaking update on his health as he has admitted that he doesn't believe that he will live until 80.

The 62-year-old actor, who has been battling Parkinson's disease since 1991, has often been commended for his resilience and determination. Despite his diagnosis, Fox continued to work and kept his health struggle private for seven years after he was initially diagnosed at just 29 years old.

Parkinson's disease, as defined by the National Institutes of Health, is a brain disorder that leads to unintended or uncontrollable movements, including shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and coordination.

In an interview with CBS News Sunday Morning, Fox opened up about the previous three decades battling the disease and how he doesn't think he will see 80 years old.

In a preview of the interview, Fox expressed the increasing difficulty he faces daily, acknowledging the harsh reality of living with Parkinson's.

He said: "I mean, I'm not gonna lie. It's getting hard … it's getting tougher. Every day it's tougher. But that's the way it is. I mean, you know, who do I see about that?"

Diagnosed with Parkinson's at the age of 29, Fox recalls the initial shock and fear that accompanied the revelation. At the time, he was riding high on the successes of the Back to the Future franchise and the sitcom Family Ties, but he refused to let the diagnosis slow him down.

Over the years, Fox continued to grace screens both big and small, starring in shows like Spin City and lending his voice to Stuart Little.

However, his health took a significant hit in 2018 when he underwent spinal surgery to remove a tumor unrelated to Parkinson's. Since then, Fox has faced numerous challenges, including the need to relearn how to walk.

Reflecting on the physical toll the disease has taken, Fox told CBS: "It messed up my walking … and then, started to break stuff. Broke this arm, and I broke this arm, I broke this elbow, I broke my face. I broke my hand."

He went on to explain the severe consequences people with Parkinson's face, emphasizing the danger of falls and complications like aspirating food, which can lead to pneumonia.

Fox noted: "All these subtle ways that get ya. You don't die from Parkinson's — you die with Parkinson's."

The day-to-day challenges have prompted Fox to confront his own mortality, stating to CBS: "I'm not gonna be 80. I'm not gonna be 80."

In 2023, Fox provided insights into his marriage with Tracy Polland during an interview at the regional premiere of his Apple+ documentary, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, at the SXSW Conference And Festival in Austin, Texas.

Speaking to PEOPLE, Pollan shared their secret to a healthy relationship, saying: "I think we really listen to each other, we are there for each other when we need each other."

She emphasized the importance of giving each other space when necessary and understanding each other's needs in the moment.

Fox reciprocated the sentiment, praising Pollan for being the foundation of their family. He expressed: "Any good in our family, anything good that we do, comes from her."

The documentary delves into Fox's life, including the challenging moments when he turned to alcohol as a coping mechanism after his Parkinson's diagnosis.

Reflecting on that period, Fox admitted: "I was definitely an alcoholic. But I've gone 30 years without having a drink."

He credited the support of his wife and children for helping him overcome those difficult times.

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Michael J. Fox has opened up about his marriage to Tracy Pollan, revealing he wouldn't have blamed her if she had wanted to "step out" of their marriage due to his decades-long battle with Parkinson's disease.

The Back To The Future star, 62, was just 29 years old when he was first diagnosed with the condition, which affects balance and coordination and is often characterized by involuntary movements, and which progresses and worsens over time.

He first became aware something was wrong when he noticed a twitching in his little finger in 1991, and initially coped with the diagnosis by drinking heavily, before quitting and going public with the news in 1998.

Throughout all of it, his wife, Pollan, has been by his side in their 35-year marriage, but the actor admitted he would have understood if it had been too much for her to live with.

Fox made a personal appearance at his Parkinson's charity event - the Michael J. Fox Foundation Hosts A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Cure Parkinson's event - in New York on Saturday alongside Pollan, 63, their son Sam Michael, 34, and twin daughters Aquinnah Kathleen and Schuyler Frances, 28. Their daughter Esmé Annabelle, 21, did not appear to be present on the night.

Days before the family outing, Fox had spoken out about his and Pollan's enduring love, and how he'd have understood if she'd called time on their marriage due to his health struggles.

He told CBS Mornings on Thursday: "At any time she would have been forgiven to say, 'I'm just gonna step out.' But, she didn't do that."

Fox acknowledged how difficult it has been for Pollan to cope with his illness, adding: "I love Tracy obviously and she's an amazing person and has gone through a lot.

"I realize she has a life separate from me having Parkinson's, from me being Alex Keaton or Marty McFly, she's a person. I think that's why it's gone okay."

He revealed: "She had indicated to me by saying, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health. She was able to get me through it, and go through it with me. And she has for 35 years."

Fox added: "We knew the bus was coming and we knew it was going to hit, but we didn't know how far away it was or how fast it was going."

The couple celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary in July, as Fox wrote on Instagram: "35 years of laugher, living, listening and loving you @tracy.pollan. Thank you for it all. Forever yours, Mike."

Pollan shared her own tribute, writing: "35 years!!! Happy anniversary my love. Here's to many more glorious adventures together. I could not love you more."

Fox established his own foundation to fund research into early diagnosis and a potential cure for Parkinson's disease, which is currently incurable.

The foundation, which has so far donated $2 billion towards its work, has made some big breakthroughs in its research in regards to early detection.

Throughout his hardships, Fox has remained upbeat, however, he admitted: "The positivity is really sincere, I really feel it, and it's genuine. But it's hard-fought and it's hard-won, I should say."

Revealing how he and Pollan get through it, he added: "We can find ways to just give ourselves a break, give ourselves credit for getting through life on life's terms.

"And in order to do that, you have to stop and say, 'It's not that bad; it's not that bad'... they say the absence of fear is faith."

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Michael J. Fox has opened up about his wife's touching reaction after he found out he had Parkinson's disease.

The Back To The Future star, 61, has spoken out about his blockbuster career and his personal life in his upcoming documentary, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie.

The trailer for the film has been released, in which the actor details his health struggles in recent years and how he began to notice the signs of Parkinson's.

Fox was diagnosed in 1991 and revealed it publicly in 1998, but continued acting for years to come.

In the clip, Fox opened up about the first time he noticed something wasn't right with his health, which eventually led to his diagnosis.

He revealed that he woke up one morning to find his pinky finger was twitching uncontrollably, describing it as 'auto-animated'.

Fox recalled telling his wife Tracy Pollan about the diagnosis and shared her sweet response.

He said in the trailer: "I told Tracy the news. 'In sickness and in health,' I remember her whispering,"

"No-one outside of my family knew," he added, admitting he took pills to "hide" the condition. "But all those years of hiding was shaking me awake.

"To deny that part of me that wants to continue to go on and do things is to quit. So this is who I am, I'm a tough son of a b****."

The trailer, shot by Davis Guggenheim, ends with the director saying from off-camera: "The sad sack story is: Michael J. Fox gets this debilitating disease and it crushes him," to which Fox quips: "Yeah, that's boring."

The actor has used his platform to raise awareness for Parkinson's since going public with his diagnosis, including setting up The Michael J. Fox Foundation.

He previously revealed that while the condition "sucks", he refuses to wallow in pity, adding: "I can feel sorry for myself, but I don't have time for that."

Fox said during a panel at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival, that he "didn't have a choice" but to "mobilize" people to care about Parkinson's.

He said, as cited by PEOPLE: "I didn't have a choice. This is it. I have to give everything I have, and it's not lip service. I show up and do the best I can.

"Pity is a benign form of abuse. I can feel sorry for myself, but I don't have time for that. There is stuff to be learned from this, so let's do that and move on."

He added: "Parkinson's sucks, but it's a great life, so thank you for it. I have no regrets."

While he carried on working for years after going public with his diagnosis, Fox did eventually step away from acting, explaining: "You do what you have to do, but you do not want to kill yourself. And that's when I stopped."

Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, will stream on Apple TV+ from May 12.

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Michael J Fox has admitted he turned to alcohol to cope with his Parkinson's diagnosis when he first found out he had the condition.

Speaking in his new Apple TV+ documentary titled Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, the 61-year-old actor opened up about the struggles of his diagnosis as well as his battle with addiction which served as a coping mechanism in his early years.

Fox was initially diagnosed with Parkinson's back in 1991 but kept it hidden from the world for seven years while he silently battled the disease. But when the doctors told him that there was no way to cure it, he turned to other methods to try and forget about his struggles.

"I didn't know what was happening. I didn't know what was coming. So what if I could just have four glasses of wine and maybe a shot?" Fox says. "I was definitely an alcoholic. But I've gone 30 years without having a drink."

He continued: "As low as alcohol had brought me, abstinence would bring me lower. I could no longer escape myself," he says before adding that traveling and keeping busy made it easier to put the diagnosis out of his mind.

"You can't pretend at home that you don't have Parkinson's because you're just there with it. If I'm out in the world, I'm dealing with other people and they don't know I have it."

The actor also credits his wife Tracy Pollan as well as his four children as his motivation to get sober. But while he focused on that, the disease continued to ravage his body, making things more difficult for him.

"To me, the worst thing is restraint," Fox explained. "The worst thing is to be confined and to not be able to have a way out... There are times when I went, 'There's no way out of this.'"

Elsewhere in the documentary, Fox also talks about taking "dopamine pills" on set.

"Therapeutic value, comfort – none of these were the reason I took these pills. There was only one reason: to hide," Fox admitted. "I became a virtuoso of manipulating drug intake so that I'd peak at exactly the right time and place."

Thankfully though, he managed to overcome his battles and has now turned his focus to raising awareness about Parkinson's in the hopes that there will eventually be a cure.

Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie will be released later this year.

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Michael J. Fox has made a heartbreaking prediction as he comes to terms with his own mortality amid his battle with Parkinson's.

Fox was first diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disorder back in 1991 when he was just 29 years old.

People with the condition often suffer from physical symptoms such as shaking and stiffness, as well as mental symptoms such as memory loss and depression. It is still not known what causes the condition.

After going public with his battle with the disease in 1998, the beloved actor launched the Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2000, which is "dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson's disease through an aggressively funded research agenda and to ensuring the development of improved therapies for those living with Parkinson's today".

However, over the last two decades, fans have been left heartbroken after seeing the impact the disease has had on the actor's career and well-being, having previously described himself as "sailing a ship on stormy seas on the brightest of days".

Now, in a preview for his upcoming interview with CBS Sunday Morning's Jane Pauley, the beloved Back To The Future star has admitted that he doesn't believe he's going to reach 80 years old.

Currently, the actor is 61 years old - meaning he has lived with the condition for 32 years.

"My life is set up so... I can pack Parkinson's along with me if I have to," he says in the preview. "You don’t die from Parkinson's. You die with Parkinson’s."

Fox spoke about how a simple injury or cold could prove fatal to him - forcing him to change the way he goes about his day-to-day life.

After saying that he has accepted his own mortality, Fox revealed: "I've been thinking about the mortality of it... I’m not gonna be 80."

"It's banging on the door [...] I’m not going to lie, it's getting hard, it's getting harder," he adds. "Every day is tougher. But, but that's — that's the way it is."

In some good news, Fox did reveal earlier this month that the Michael J. Fox Foundation has played a pivotal role in funding research into Parkinson's disease that could be a game-changer for future patients.

The foundation has since become the largest non-profit funder of Parkinson's disease research in the world, with more than $1 billion of research projects to date.

Since 2010, the actor has led a $100 million research project with a large-scale clinical study to discover the biological markers of Parkinson's disease with the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative.

Now, new results - published this month in The Lancet Neurology - have found that a key Parkinson's pathology can now be identified by examining spinal fluid from living patients. This will allow for Parkinson's to be detected much earlier in patients; allowing for earlier intervention and treatment.

"It's all changed. It can be known and treated early on. It's huge," said Fox at the time. "This is the thing," he added of the research. "This is the big reward. This is the big trophy."

Sharing the amazing news with his Instagram followers, Fox wrote: "Today marks a gigantic leap forward in Parkinson’s research. @michaeljfoxorg and its signature PPMI study are announcing the discovery of a biomarker for PD, something the Foundation has sought since our earliest days.

"I am deeply moved by this breakthrough and share my immense gratitude with the scientists, research participants and funders who have worked tirelessly to bring us this far. Your tenacity and commitment have made this historic moment possible.

"We still have a long way to go — but today's announcement affirms that we’re on the path to ending Parkinson's."

We wish Fox the very best as he continues to be an inspirational voice and activist against Parkinson's.

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