Gogglebox star reveals secret battle with deafness as they admit they're learning sign language in emotional update

Daily Mail​

a day ago

A Gogglebox star has revealed his secret battle with deafness and admitted he is currently learning sign language.
Daniel Lustig-Webb, 50, emotionally shared he is fully deaf in one ear and has been since he was a child.
It's something that he admits he hid 'for years' but has now opened up about it to Scene Magazine.
The hairdresser told the publication: 'I got mumps when I was younger, which caused an infection in my ear, and that left me with complete and permanent hearing loss in one ear.
'For years, I hid it. I didn't want people to see me as 'different' or less capable.'
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The TV star recalled how his hearing loss made school difficult at times and he was 'picked on' by other students.
Teachers underestimated his ability and he found it hard to concentrate at times, 'not realising it was because I couldn't hear properly'.
As an adult, Daniel's deafness has continued to impact his life and he described trying to communicate during social occasions such as parties as 'exhausting' and admitted it 'takes a toll'.
As he turns 50 years old, Daniel has decided to open up about his deafness and intends to learn sign language.
'I'm planning to begin learning sign language because I want to connect with the deaf community and support others who might be struggling like I did. Deafness isn't a weakness, it's part of me,' he said.
Daniel previously featured on Gogglebox alongside his husband Stephen Webb.
The pair revealed they were getting a divorce in April 2024 after six years of marriage.
Speaking on Best's Suddenly Single podcast earlier this year, Daniel opened up about their 'traumatic' and 'devastating' shock split as well as his current dating life.
Daniel previously featured on Gogglebox alongside his husband Stephen Webb. The pair revealed they were getting a divorce in April 2024 after six years of marriage
Despite making the decision to split up, Daniel revealed he and Stephen were still living under the same roof while they continued to sell their apartment.
He said: 'We're still living together. We're trying to sell our apartment. We cohabit really well together. (The split) was quite a slow process, for a while we were still sleeping in the same bed.
'Then when Stephen went on Celebs Go Dating we agreed we'd sleep in separate bedrooms.
'We've found a way to work together, live together and be dog dads. It's always been about friendship.
'As soon as we started dating, I said, 'this guy is so different to me' but we got on so well, even though we came from completely different backgrounds.'
Talking about their split, he added: 'It was devastating. For me, it was traumatic and although I knew things weren't great, I didn't see it coming.
'It was quite a slow process because we were completely entwined for so long, with our businesses, the dogs, we were so close in everything we did.
'There was nothing underhand happening, no-one had slept with anyone else. Stephen was the complete opposite to me, and we'd say opposites attracted, but fundamentally that was our problem in the end.'
Speaking on Best's Suddenly Single podcast earlier this year, Daniel opened up about their 'traumatic' and 'devastating' shock split as well as his current dating life
Confirming he is back on the market, Daniel said: 'Once I got over the shock, in the summer I was going on date after date with all these different types of people, I was on apps all the time, and now I realise I was trying to fill a void.
'Friends took me aside to ask if I was okay. Now I'm happy being single. I love going on dates but I don't need a long term relationship, I need to repair myself a little and learn who I am again.
'The first guy I dated (after Stephen), I went on about six dates with him in London. He was very nice, he knew my situation and it was teenage dating, nothing sexual at all, we'd go somewhere really nice and have a snog in the end.
'He did end it, I think he realised I wasn't in the right frame of mind.'