George Clooney opens up on battle with Bell's Palsy

George Clooney has opened up about his battle with Bell’s palsy.

The Tomorrowland actor, 61, appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday (26 January) for the show’s 20th anniversary special.

To mark the momentous occasion, the talk show host revealed high school pictures of his guests.

As Kimmel showed the adorable throwbacks, one picture in the stack was a photo of the ER star as a 15-year-old.

Before Kimmel could ‘make a joke’ about the picture, Clooney interrupted and explained that he was suffering from Bell’s palsy when the portrait was taken.

“Now wait, I want to point out something because you're going to laugh, gonna make a joke,” Clooney said. “I have Bell's palsy there and half of my face is paralysed.

"Look at this, watch this," the actor explained, as he reached across the desk to cover half his face in the photo with his hand to show his smile was slanted on one side.

He added: "If you go like this, on the other side, it's a completely different face. So now make your joke. Come on, funnyman. Come on, let me give you my sad face."

However Kimmel said he wasn’t going to make a joke and quipped: "You know what? I didn't have a joke, George, and you really brought everybody down."

Bell’s palsy is temporary weakness or lack of movement affecting one side of the face.

According to the NHS most people recover within nine months and unlike the facial paralysis seen during the onset of a stroke, the facial weakness develops gradually.

Symptoms of Bell’s palsy includes the drooping of an eyelid or corner of the mouth, drooling, dry mouth, a loss of taste, eye irritation, such as dryness or more tears.

If you experience any of these symptoms you should see a GP as soon as possible because treatment for Bell’s palsy is more effective if started within 72 hours.

Treatment usually involves a 10-day course of steroid medicine as well as eye drops and eye ointment to stop the affected eye drying out and surgical tape to keep the eye closed at bedtime.

The direct cause of Bell's palsy is unknown, but some experts believe it may be due to swelling and inflammation of the nerve that controls the muscles on one side of the face. The condition could be cause by a reaction after a viral infection.

Lots of other celebrities have experienced Bell's palsy as well, like Angelina Jolie who was diagnosed in 2016 and former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan who had the condition in the 1980s.