TRUE LOVE FOR UNCLE TICS 'SHE NEVER JUDGED ME'

Life is certainly not dull for TikTok superstar Leighton Clarke and his soulmate Olivia

- Cloe Willetts

As social media superstar Leighton Clarke, aka Uncle A Tics, cuddles up to his long-time love Olivia Campbell during a fun photo shoot for Woman's Day, it quickly becomes apparent his fiancée isn't the only one who adores him. An excited group of high school boys spots him across a rugby field and rush over to take selfies with Aotearoa's most-followed TikTok creator.

It isn't the first time Leighton has been approached by fans and it won't be the last. Millions of people around the world have come to love the unfiltered and hilarious Hamilton videographer, who lives with Tourette syndrome, a neurological dysfunction in the brain that causes him to tic involuntarily.

But Leighton, who has a whopping 4.3 million followers, hasn't always been the confident and carefree guy his fans look up to. It was thanks to the ongoing support of Olivia, 25, his partner of six years, that Leighton felt comfortable enough to let go of any embarrassment about his disability after years of bullying as a child.

"I was an absolute nobody when I first met Liv and she probably paid for my dinner," laughs Leighton, 29, who was introduced to his partner when they worked together at a supermarket in 2016. "Liv never judged me and still doesn't."

Liv, now an occupational health nurse, recalls starting her role as a supervisor the day Leighton joined their team and being told he has Tourette's. Part of his condition is coprolalia, a tic that makes him swear and say socially inappropriate things, which often relate to sex and genitals. When he's nervous or overwhelmed, it gets worse.