Football legend Ally McCoist reveals health battle with 'Viking's disease' that has left him struggling with simple tasks

The beloved football commentator and pundit spoke on TalkSPORT about his Dupuytren's contracture diagnosis. This is a condition that causes the patient’s fingers to band towards the palm of the hand involuntarily due to an abnormal thickening of the skin on the palm.

Speaking to the station, McCoist, 62, said: "I have got Dupuytren's. It's a hereditary thing where your fingers close in.

"I have had them done twice. I went to see the doctor and he said to me 'Did your grandfather have it?'. I said 'I don't know' because I never met any of my grandfathers, sadly they passed before I was born.

The ex-Rangers and Scotland striker added: "I said to him 'But my dad had it'. He lifted his head up and said 'You're unlucky because it normally skips a generation'. I said 'That's good news because I have got five boys'.

"My wee mum had it as well. My mum had it, my dad had it, it's a hereditary thing. The bizarre thing with Dupuytren's is when I went to see the doctor he said 'I will operate on it but it will come back in roughly nine years'. And I swear to God nine years later it came back.”

McCoist revealed that Dupuytren’s has impacted his ability to complete simple task, such as sending a text message. He said: "I have seen myself sending a text message which takes me five minutes to text with one finger when I should just dial the number."

Dupuytren’s, which is also known as ‘Viking’s disease’ due to its origins in those of Scandinavian decent, affects around two million people in the UK and is most common in those over the age of 65. It is usually not painful but can impact your ability to use your hands, with treatment including surgery to remove the affected skin and tissue.