Plus, details about Michael’s BAFTA standing ovation
MICHAEL J. Fox has been spotted out and about in London, giving fans a peace sign while being pushed in a wheelchair.
The Back to the Future star appeared in good spirits during the outing amid his battle with Parkinson’s disease.
Michael, 63, kept it casual, wearing jeans and a red shirt with a bandana print on it.
He covered up in a brown jacket and had stylish sneakers on his feet.
The Family Ties star made a peace sign with his fingers for onlooking fans as someone pushed him in his wheelchair.
Michael was seen leaving Chiltern Firehouse after a night out with friends.
The sighting came months after he took the stage at the BAFTAs, addressing the crowd in an emotional speech.
SILENT STRUGGLE
Michael’s wife, Tracy Pollan, looked on proudly from the audience as he spoke.
He bravely took a stand, leaving his wheelchair to speak.
“Five films are nominated in this category tonight and all five have something in common — they’re the best at what we do,” he said.
“There’s a reason why they say movies are magic — because movies can change your day.
“They can change your outlook and sometimes can change your life.”
When he was done, the audience gave him a standing ovation.
Tracy has been there for Michael throughout the entirety of his battle with Parkinson’s.
The pair met while working on Family Ties.
In addition to supporting him through the effects of his disease, Tracy helped him amid a secret battle with alcoholism.
Michael was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1991, which the actor said led him down a path of addiction.
In his lowest moment, Michael’s wife found him passed out on the floor following a night out.
She was at the “end of her rope” in that moment.
His desire to save their marriage helped him kick the habit.
After the BAFTAs, Michael and Tracy posed proudly together.
They stood arm in arm on the red carpet outside London’s Royal Festival Hall.
DEVASTATING DIAGNOSIS
Michael was at the height of his fame when he learned that he had young-onset Parkinson’s, which led him to start losing control of his body.
After getting the diagnosis, he shared the news with his wife who held him in her arms as they wept.
Tracy told him at the time, “You’re not any different than you were yesterday. It’s kind of easy to forget because nothing’s changed.”
Michael tried to forget about his condition by focusing on his work, he told People.
At the same time, he was dealing with his addiction to alcohol.
While he cut back on his drinking when he married Tracy in 1988, he began drinking wine by the bottle once again.
“I was isolating myself from my family,” he told the outlet.
In the documentary Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, which was released in 2023, he revealed how bad his drinking got.
“I drank [as a] distraction, to escape my situation. I was an alcoholic,” he said.
After a big night out in 1992, however, his drinking reached its peak and he decided to quit.
Three years later, the couple welcomed twins Aquinnah Kathleen and Schuyler Frances.
They welcomed daughter Esmé Annabelle in 2001.
They’re also parents to a son named Sam.
In 2023, Michael told US TV that he would have forgiven Tracy if she had decided to “step out” after his Parkinson’s battle.
“At any time she would have been forgiven to say, ‘I’m just gonna step out,’” he said.
“But she didn’t do that.”
The actor has described his diagnosis as a “tsunami of misfortune,” noting that he suffered a series of serious medical issues in a short amount of time.
The worst came in 2018 when he had spinal cord surgery to remove a benign tumor.
Michael continues to keep it positive amid his battle, however.
He is an outspoken advocate for others battling the same disease.
