Vic Reeves opens up about going 'completely deaf' in left ear
He opened up about his diagnosis
Last updated 27th Sep 2021
Comedian Vic Reeves has revealed he has gone completely deaf in his left ear.
The entertainment legend opened up about how his hearing "will never come back" in his left ear after being diagnosed with vestibular schwannoma.
Speaking on The Adam Buxton Podcast, the 62-year-old said: "I’ve got what’s called a vestibular schwannoma. It’s a tumour in my head. I’ve gone completely deaf, one hundred percent deaf, in my left ear. It will never come back.
"It’s the size of a grape. They just have to keep an eye on it. It’s benign. They can’t remove it. They can shrink it or just keep an eye on it, and that’s what they are doing."
Vic, real name Jim Moir, added: "I’d rather hear than not, but it’s happened so you just get on with it don’t you. I’ve got used to it."
Also known as acoustic neuromas, a vestibular schwannoma is a benign tumour that starts in the nerve that connects the brain to the ear.
Whilst they are very rare, with just 6% of brain tumours recognised as vestibular schwannomas, the condition can cause hearing loss, tinnitus, dizziness, vertigo, and in more serious instances, facial numbness.
Vic admitted that he found it difficult to know where noises are coming from.
He said: "I like to go out bird watching and I never know where the birds are. I can hear them but I don’t know what direction they are. If an aeroplane flies over, or a car approaches, I don’t know where it is.
"I had to throw away all my stereo LPs. It’s absolutely dead. Gone."
Vic, who is best known for his double act with Bob Mortimer as Vic and Bob, has been on TV screens for over 30 years.
He continued: "Between your ear drum and your brain is a nerve. And that takes all the information from your ear to your brain. And the tumour is right in between.
"So it’s gone ping and snapped. And you can’t re-attach nerves. Not at this stage in medical science anyway. But in the future? Probably the week after I perish there will be great news."
As well as his successful career in comedy, Vic is an established artist and TV presenter, most recently hosting Netflix's The Big Flower Fight.
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