Singer Lisa McHugh made a heart-warming return to The Late Late Show on Friday night after a harrowing year of poor health, telling host Patrick Kielty that it has been "a huge wake-up call".
Having been diagnosed with Trigeminal Neuralgia - sudden, severe facial pain - earlier this year, the country star said she "essentially burned myself out completely" while her daughter was "in and out of hospital" and she was trying "to go back to work, do my singing, be a mum, be a wife, be a daughter".
During the summer, McHugh spent 10 days in hospital after temporarily losing the use of both her legs and suffering "excruciating" pain in her face and head.
She underwent multiple tests and was eventually diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder.
"It basically means that there's a nervous system problem and your brain is not sending the signals properly to your limbs or to your body. They call it a software problem in your brain and not a hardware problem," she explained.
"I just completely forgot about looking after myself."
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Lisa McHugh on her recent diagnosis of Functional Neurological Disorder.#LateLate pic.twitter.com/ntSP21fDPe
"But it's when they do all the examinations, they do all the bloods, they do the CTs, and the results come back normal, but your symptoms are very real. People have seizures. They have speech problems. They've tremors. They have weakness, which is what I have.
"I had never heard of it when I was diagnosed; I had never heard of it at all. But since I have shared my story, the thousands of messages that I have had from people to say that they're going through something similar and they've been sent home and they've no help... They don't know where to turn or what to do and they're really, really struggling. It's mind-blowing the amount of people that are so ill."
McHugh said her illness had been caused by "purely stress - stress and burnout".
"I'm doing what I am doing, and [what] I love to do is touring, as you well know, touring around the country. And you're eating at the wrong times. You're eating the wrong food. You're not getting enough sleep. You're going home then late at night and getting up first thing in the morning with the kids, being a mum again. And then you're going to do the shop in the local shop. You're trying to squeeze in everything and wear every hat you can. And in that time, I just completely forgot about looking after myself. It was a huge wake-up call."
After saluting the "amazing" medical care she is receiving, McHugh thanked people for all their good wishes.
"From the very first video I shared, the amount of flowers and messages and cards and mass cards and phone calls. And honestly, it's still happening to this day. You know, I have always said I have the best fans in the world, and you can say, 'Oh, that's really clichéd to say that', but I genuinely... I couldn't have got through the last few months without all the support, all the prayers, all the messages, and they really have kept me going."
McHugh said she is "getting there" as she continues her recovery.
The incredible Lisa McHugh 👏#LateLate pic.twitter.com/cdBZ3gxE5q
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"I don't want to give anyone the impression that I've waved a magic wand and, you know, everything is 100% again, because I'm definitely still on the recovery journey," she continued.
"[I] Still get tired. I'm still, you know, doing small bits and then resting. I have to manage my energy, and I have to completely change the way my life is - and it has - and the way it will be going forward. And yeah, I enjoy singing, as I always have done, and I want to do more of that, but I really have to ease myself in gently and look after myself."
McHugh then performed her own Christmas song, Home with a Heartbeat, to the delight of the Late Late audience.
The Late Late Show, Fridays, RTÉ One and RTÉ Player, 9:35pm
