Tourette awareness TikTok star Baylen Dupree candidly opened up about her tics and triggers during an appearance on the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast.
During the Feb. 19 episode, the social media star, 22, talked about everything from fan interactions to the biggest misconceptions around Tourette syndrome. Though she noted that many of her tics can appear from the most random things, she revealed the one time she doesn’t tic is when she’s intimate with her fiancé Colin Dooley.
She described it as “similar” to when she works out, noting she “doesn’t tic as bad” when she’s exercising.
“I try to stay as active as possible,” she explained. “Whether that’s getting in steps or just trying to get a mind-body type of workout in. When I am in the gym, it’s a very safe space.”
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Dupree has used her social media platform to document her journey with Tourette syndrome and raise awareness of the condition since her diagnosis in 2020. Since then, she’s amassed over 10 million followers on TikTok, which led to her TLC show Baylen Out Loud, which premiered on Jan. 13.
She met Dooley through a dating app and they began dating in November 2022. Dupree previously revealed that he was “very observant” about her Tourette Syndrome and researched the condition before their first date.
Baylen Dupree/ TikTok
“He still is [learning], but I mean, so is everyone else. I am still learning about it,” she told PEOPLE. “There’s so much more work that needs to be done to educate more people and to understand fully what people are going through and dealing with.”
The couple announced their engagement exclusively to PEOPLE in February. At the time, Dupree exclusively told PEOPLE they “can’t wait to take you along on this journey — through all the ups, downs, and everything in between.”
She also gushed about Dooley’s unwavering love and support for her and called him her “medicine.”
“He is the prescription that I’ve needed for a really long time that never runs out. It was just meant to be,” Dupree said. “He just understands me so well. He distracts me from a lot of the things that consume my day and my time … It just really helps just having someone there who gets it and understands me.”
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