Woody Cook has revealed he is worried about losing his hearing as he discussed his years-long struggle with tinnitus.

The son of Zoe Ball and Norman Cook, 24, began suffering with tinnitus at the age of 12 after attending festivals and gigs with his father during his childhood.

Now, Woody has followed in his father Fatboy Slim’s DJ footsteps and has warned other musicians and festivalgoers about the dangers of tinnitus.

Tinnitus is the name for hearing noises, such as ringing, buzzing or hissing, that are not caused by an outside source, according to the NHS.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Woody shared his concerns about potentially losing his hearing in ’30 to 50 years’ after ‘damaging’ his ears with loud music.

‘After I’ve done events and things, I hear ringing quite frequently,’ Woody – who partnered with Specsavers for Tinnitus Awareness Week – shared. 

Woody Cook (pictured in February 2023) has revealed he is worried about losing his hearing as he discussed his years-long struggle with tinnitus

‘It’s mainly when it’s quiet, stuff like that, but then it can sometimes just be a random ring now and then.

‘The exact symptoms aren’t that bad, but it’s more what it represents and the damage that you’re doing. You know, will I be able to hear you in 30 or 50 years?’ 

Woody said his initial symptoms included hearing ‘ringing’ in a quiet room but he thought that everyone dealt with it, before realising there was a bigger problem.

‘My symptoms back then weren’t really bad at all, but they were present, which was just like sometimes in a quiet room you’ll hear a little ringing,’ he shared.

‘I just thought that was just like the sound of the lights or something everyone heard. It was only a bit later I realized that maybe, maybe that wasn’t normal.’

Woody said he never considered quitting DJing because of his tinnitus but now has precautions in place, including wearing ear plugs and standing further away from the speakers.

‘I stand further away from the subwoofer, and I turn it down a little bit when I’m in the DJ booth,’ he said.

‘Sometimes I’ve had people like Nicky Blackmarket on before me, and he literally has a hearing aid. 

The son of Zoe Ball and Norman Cook, 24, began suffering with tinnitus at the age of 12 after attending festivals and gigs with his father and has now started DJing himself (pictured)

Woody wants to educate more people on the dangers of tinnitus because he never heard about it as a child and would go to sleep every night blasting loud music in his headphones

‘It’s cranked up so loud that the first thing I do when I go on is turn it down because I’m like ”oh no I won’t be able to hear myself think”. 

‘Music is still entirely my pᴀssion. Like Beethoven who became deaf and carried on making music, that will be me in some way, shape or form.’

Woody wants to educate more people on the dangers of tinnitus because he never heard about it as a child and would go to sleep every night blasting loud music in his headphones.

He admitted his presenter mother Zoe warned him that he’d damage his hearing after years of sleeping with music on, but Woody simply brushed off her words.

‘Until quite recently, no one really cared, and even as far as if you use an iPhone now, you get that warning ”turn it down, turn it down”, I didn’t have that as a kid,’ he said.

‘I used to blast Now That’s What I Call Music into my headphones when I was like 13/14 all night long, full volume. There was no warning then.

‘I mean, I had my mum going ”you can’t wear in-ear headphones at night”, but you don’t listen your mum at that age. But if my phone had been going ”you’re going deaf mate”, I might have listened.’

Woody partnered with Specsavers to encourage people to get regular hearing tests as part of Tinnitus Awareness Week, which ran from February 3-9.

He admitted his presenter mother Zoe (pictured) warned him that he’d damage his hearing after years of sleeping with music on, but Woody simply brushed off her words

Woody is the eldest child of Zoe and Norman, also known by his stage name Fatboy Slim. The couple married in 1999 and went their separate ways in 2016, but remain great friends 

A Specsavers survey of 2,000 UK adults showed that 73 per cent of Brits over 40 rarely or never took steps to protect their hearing when exposed to loud environments during their youth.

As a result, 42 per cent of the group rated their hearing as average or poor, while nearly two-thirds said they now experience occasional tinnitus.

‘Part of the Specsavers’ mission is that anyone can get a hearing test if they think they’re exhibiting symptoms and anyone can hearing protection,’ Woody said. 

‘They want more and more nightclubs to offer it out, and it be given to bar workers. The sound technicians, they know about it, but the rest of us don’t know as much about it, so the advice is education for everyone.’

‘You’re never too young to get an ear test, you’re going to be trapped with the same ones for the rest of your life,’ he added before quipping: ‘Just like anything in life, wear protection!’

Woody is the eldest child of Zoe and Norman, also known by his stage name Fatboy Slim. They also share a daughter Nelly, 15. 

The couple married in 1999 and went their separate ways in 2016, but remain great friends.

WHAT IS TINNITUS?

Tinnitus is the name for hearing noises, such as ringing, buzzing or hissing, that are not caused by an outside source, according to the NHS.

It occurs due to damage to the cochlear hair cells in the inner ear, which stretch and contract in accordance with sound-induced vibrations.

Very loud noises – at a nightclub or played over headphones – can overload these cells, leaving them temporarily or permanently damages.

The damage forces other parts of the ear to overwork to compensate for the loss of function, which leads to tinnitus and eventually chronic hearing loss. 

According to RNID, around one in 7 UK adults has tinnitus. 

Treatment focuses on counselling and therapies to help people find ways of coping with their condition and reducing any anxiety it causes. 

Tinnitus retraining therapy uses sound therapy to retrain the brain to tune out and be less aware of ringing and buzzing noises.

Deep breathing, yoga and joining support groups can also help.