Michael J Fox’s actress wife Tracy Pollan pulled him back from brink as he drowned out Parkinson’s diagnosis with booze

RISING from his wheelchair to address the crowd, Michael J. Fox received a standing ovation at the BAFTAs in the night’s most emotional moment.

Watching proudly from the sidelines was his wife of 35 years, Tracy Pollan, who has been his shining light since his shock diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease.

Michael J. Fox poses with his wife Tracy Pollan at the BaftasCredit: Rex

The Back to the Future star got a standing ovation as he presented the Best Film AwardCredit: Getty
Having lived with the incurable condition since 1991, the Back to the Future star has spoken candidly about how it led him down a path of alcohol addiction – and nearly cost him his marriage.

At his lowest moment, Michael’s wife found him collapsed on the floor after a heavy night out and reached the “end of her rope” as she struggled to help him while raising their young family.

The 62-year-old’s enduring love for Tracy, who he met on the US sitcom Family Ties, helped him to kick the bottle for good and confront his diagnosis head-on.

And last night, the couple were all smiles as they posed arm in arm on the red carpet outside London’s Royal Festival Hall, even stopping for a snap with Davis Beckham.

Devastating diagnosis

Michael was at the height of his film career when he found out he had young-onset Parkinson’s, which is slowly robbing him of the ability to control his body.

After receiving the life-changing news, he broke it to his wife, who held him in her arms as they cried together.

Tracy, who played his on-screen girlfriend on Family Ties, told him: “You’re not any different than you were yesterday. It’s kind of easy to forget because nothing’s changed.”

Michael took the advice in his stride and tried to forget about the diagnosis, telling People he “took every job” he could get.

They originally met on the set of Family Ties in 1985Credit: Rex

Tracy and Michael hit the red carpet with their twin daughters Schuyler and Aquinnah in 2012Credit: Rex
But at the same time, the star was secretly feeding his inner-demons with booze.

Michael, who originally cut back on his drinking when the pair married in 1988, had started hiding empty bottles of wine at home.

Emotional moment Michael J. Fox receives standing ovation at Baftas as Parkinson’s sufferer star presents Best Film gong

He said: “I was isolating myself from my family.”

In the documentary Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, which he released last year, he said: “I drank to distraction, to escape my situation. I was an alcoholic.”

But following a big boozy night out with pals in 1992, his drinking problem would reach its nadir.

Michael stumbled into his home long after Tracy had gone to sleep and passed out on the sofa with an open can of beer in his hand, spilling it all over the floor.

At any time she would have been forgiven to say, ‘I’m just gonna step out’. But, she didn’t do that

Michael J Fox On His Wife

Tracy and their first child Sam, who was 3 at the time, woke the next morning to find him in the sad state.

Fox recalled: “I did a slow scan up from her feet to her face, expecting to find her really angry. She wasn’t. She was just bored.”

Tracy admitted that his reliance on alcohol was beginning to take its toll on their marriage.

She said: “It was scary because you just don’t know how it’s going to turn out.

“You’re obviously not going to live like that for the rest of your life.”

However, a dawning realisation that their relationship was on the line helped to convince Michael to sober up, and he quit alcohol in 1992.

Michael and Tracy with David Beckham at the BaftasCredit: Getty

What is Parkinson’s disease?

PARKINSON’S is a progressive neurological condition.

This means that it causes problems in the brain and gets worse over time.

People with Parkinson’s don’t have enough of the chemical dopamine in their brain because some of the nerve cells that make it have stopped working.

Around 145,000 people live with Parkinson’s in the UK.

It’s the fastest growing neurological condition in the world.

Symptoms start to appear when the brain can’t make enough dopamine to control movement properly.

This usually happens around the age of 50, but some people might see the first signs in their 40s.

There are over 40 symptoms, but the three main ones are:

A tremor (shaking)
Slowness of movement
Rigidity (muscle stiffness)

There are several different treatments, therapies and support available to help manage the condition.

Source: Parkinson’s UK

Growing family

Three years later, the couple welcomed twin daughters, Aquinnah Kathleen and Schuyler Frances. Their fourth child, Esmé Annabelle, was born in 2001.

Fox later admitted: “Tracy got to the end of her rope because now we had twins.”

But as he worked hard to stay on the straight and narrow, his wife vowed to stand by him through thick and thin.

Last year, Michael told US TV that he would have forgiven Tracy if she had decided to “step out” during his battle with Parkinson’s.

He said: “At any time she would have been forgiven to say, ‘I’m just gonna step out’

“But, she didn’t do that.”

‘Tsunami of misfortune’

Michael has described his injuries since the diagnosis as a “tsunami of misfortune”, having suffered multiple serious medical issues within a short period of time.

His worst year came in 2018 after he had spinal cord surgery to remove a benign tumour, which made it difficult to walk.

He said: “I broke this arm, and I broke this arm, I broke this elbow. I broke my face. I broke my hand.”

Speaking to the Guardian, he recalled of the incident: “When I broke my arm, it was relatively minor, but that was the thing that destroyed me.

“I thought, what further indignity do I have to suffer? What have I done? Maybe I was wrong to think I couldn’t complain before, maybe optimism doesn’t work.”

However, much like before, his wife was there once again to pick him up off the ground.

He continued: “We knew the bus was coming and we knew it was going to hit, but we didn’t know how far away it was or how fast it was going.

“But she had indicated to me by saying, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health.

“And she was able to get me through it, and go through it with me. And she has for 35 years.”