Dame Julie Andrews at the World Parkinson Congress

Hollywood legend Dame Julie Andrews has wowed fans by making a rare appearance in a video message of support for the World Parkinson Congress. The 90-year old star of classic Hollywood musicals The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins – and more recently Netflix Regency drama Bridgerton – appeared on screen on May 24, during the opening ceremony of the four-day congress for the Parkinson’s community, which is taking place in Phoenix, Arizona in the USA.

During the video message, the Oscar-winning Andrews shared her own personal knowledge of “how devastating” Parkinson’s can be, and showed her appreciation for attendees to the congress, whose participation she called “invaluable… as we seek to find a cure to this terrible disease.” She also described herself as a “red thread”, in reference to the Red Thread Project organised by the World Parkinson Coalition to celebrate the unbreakable connections and strength of the Parkinson’s community.

Instagram posts of the crowd show the video was met with cheers of appreciation from the audience:

Julie Andrews’ video message in full:

“Good evening, everyone – I’m Julie Andrews, and I’m pleased to welcome you to the seventh World Parkinson’s Congress. Your participation is invaluable, as we seek to find a cure to this terrible disease. I know well how devastating it can be. May we all become a beacon of light to stop it in its tracks. Count me in as a red thread. Thank you.“

Julie Andrews wasn’t the only star to make an appearance at the World Parkinson Congress opening ceremony, as fellow Hollywood actor Steve Carell (The Office, Despicable Me) also sent a video message:

During his message, Carell spoke of his own “vested interest” in Parkinson’s, as he confirmed he has friends and colleagues who have the condition. He also encouraged attendees, saying “Together, I think we can make a difference.”

Dame Julie Andrews and Steve Carell add to the existing tradition of celebrity video messages at the World Parkinson Congress, with Sir Paul McCartney also sending a video during the 2023 congress in Barcelona:

In his video, Sir Paul spoke about losing his friend Ivan Vaughan – the man who originally introduced him to John Lennon – after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at a “very early age”. He added: “I saw the whole thing happen, and was very sad when, at aged 51, he died. It still hurts to this day to think about it.”

The World Parkinson Congress has been running since 2006, with seven congresses so far being hosted as far and wide as Barcelona in Spain, Kyoto in Japan, Washington DC in the USA, Glasgow in the UK, and Montreal in Canada. It was announced on Saturday that the next (eighth) World Parkinson Congress will take place in Québec City in Canada from June 26-29 2029.

Parkinson’s is the fastest-growing neurological condition in the world, with over 12 million people living with the condition globally – a number which is expected to double to 25 million by 2050. It’s a type of progressive condition, meaning Parkinson’s symptoms – which most commonly include tremor, stiffness and slowness of movement – appear gradually and slowly get worse over time. There is currently no cure for Parkinson’s.