When Scarlett Moffatt was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy after experiencing sudden onset tics at school, she felt out of control of her body.

"I’d try to suppress the facial tics so I didn’t stand out, which was like holding in a hiccup, and as soon as I’d get home, they’d all come out,” she bravely reveals to OK!. "I didn’t feel in control of my own body. The only form of Tourette’s that my family knew about was swearing, which we’d seen on TV."

Now, the 31-year-old is exploring the syndrome, delving into her personal battle as part of new Channel 4 documentary Britain’s Tourette’s Mystery: Scarlett Moffatt Investigates.

"It’s the hardest thing that I’ve ever filmed," she says. "Tourette’s is unpredictable. I went to the doctor’s but the treatment wasn’t simple.

"You expect them to say, ‘Right, here’s a course of steroids and you can have speech therapy, and it should get better,’ but it wasn’t as easy as that. I’m lucky that I have a really good support network, but I’m aware that other kids haven’t got that," she adds.

Scarlett – who recently enjoyed a trip to Paris – shot to fame in 2014 as a Gogglebox regular alongside her parents Mark and Betty, sister Ava-Grace and then-boyfriend Luke Crodden. She says she has "graduated from the university of TV" after making the move from professional TV watcher to documentary presenter.

For Scarlett, this shift couldn’t have come at a better time. "It’s always been on my bucket list to do a documentary," she reveals. "I’ve been doing this TV thing for quite a while now – I’ve learnt quite a lot. It felt like a natural progression."

Scarlett also says she already has her next documentary idea lined up, inspired by her sibling, Ava-Grace, 16.

"My little sister has just come out as gay and she’s only 16," Scarlett says. "It’s really wonderful that she feels like she can come to me and my family to say, ‘This is who I am.’"

She adds, "I wish that every kid could go to their parents to talk about their sexuality, but I’m aware that not everybody can. I would like to do a documentary for the LGBTQ+ community because even though things are getting better, by no means is everything fine and dandy."

Scarlett says that it was Louis Theroux and Stacey Dooley who inspired her career shift. "Louis is amazing, isn’t he? And I love Stacey’s warmth – she always brings her emotions into her documentaries. I’ve tried to be myself but learn from them."

"I did meet Louis once at a Halloween party," she adds with a laugh. "Probably the wrong place to ask for tips but he said no matter what, to be true to myself."

Following her I’m A Celeb triumph in 2016, Scarlett waved goodbye to her living room sofa and became a primetime star, appearing as a contestant on Virtually Famous, Celebrity Catchphrase and The Great Celebrity Bake Off.

Her sense of humour and personable character has made her a firm favourite with viewers and she also added Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway and I’m A Celebrity: Extra Camp to her CV.

Her parents couldn’t be prouder that Scarlett’s biggest successes spring from her simply being herself. "My mam and dad are proud no matter what, but now I’m very unapologetically myself.

"I always used to try and fit into a box, whereas now I’ve realised that actually it’s alright not to fit in. And that’s actually what makes me, me."

The County Durham-born star – who in the past has opened up about her troubling experiences with online trolling and body shaming – admits, "I probably wouldn’t have had the confidence a few years ago to do a documentary."

As well as her family, Scarlett’s biggest supporter is her policeman boyfriend of three years, Scott Dobinson, 37. Although she’s not got a ring on her finger yet, Scarlett joked last year, "I assume he’s going to do it at some point! I’ve always, always wanted a massive wedding, now I keep saying, ‘Let’s go to Vegas.’"

If Scarlett’s not busy walking down the aisle at Christmas, perhaps she’ll be competing for the Glitterball trophy on Strictly?

"I would love to do Strictly," Scarlett smiles. "I was talking to Anton Du Beke about it! But because I can already dance – even though I haven’t done it for maybe 15 years – and I specifically did ballroom and Latin as a child, I feel like everyone at home would be like, ‘But she can already dance!’

"You always want to be the underdog, rather than people expecting too much of you. Imagine if I was really rubbish!"

Well, we think that you’d be brilliant, Scarlett!

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