Ant McPartlin has opened up about a life-changing diagnosis he received when he was 43 years of age. The TV presenter, who’s currently in Australia for I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here 2024, spoke to The Sun about his journey in 2019, stressing that it completely “made sense”.
“I’ve got ADHD. I don’t mind talking about that,” he told the newspaper. “I was so thoroughly examined and diagnosed, I found stuff out about me I hadn’t addressed for years.” In the same discussion, Ant expressed his support for those ‘struggling’ with ADHD too, while reflecting on how it unknowingly impacted his career and personal life.
“In my job, having what they call ‘popcorn thinking’ is good because it means you can jump from one thing to another. Professionally it’s brilliant. Personally I’m all over the place,” he shared, reports OK!. ADHD – or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder – is a ‘condition that affects people’s behaviour’ in numerous different ways, according to the NHS.
While Ant received his diagnosis at 43, most cases are found in children under 12 years old. Typical symptoms include restlessness, organisational challenges and a difficulty coping with stress, which may affect relationships and social interactions.
The UK health body explains: “Sometimes ADHD was not recognised when someone was a child, and they are diagnosed later as an adult. The symptoms of ADHD may improve with age, but many adults who were diagnosed with the condition at a young age continue to experience problems.
“People with ADHD may also have additional problems, such as sleep and anxiety disorders.” Ant is now among several well-known figures to open up about life with ADHD, including Sam Thompson, Lily Allen, and Sheridan Smith.
In 2023, Katie Price also spoke to OK! about her own ADHD diagnosis, but stressed that she hates putting a label on things. At the time, she said: “I hate labels, but now my mum and I have both spoken to doctors and she has realised why I’ve done things in the past, why I act the way I do, why I do things, why I am the way I am.”
If you think you might have ADHD, it’s worth discussing this with a GP who can then look to providing appropriate support. Crucially, there is ‘no cure’ as such, but medicines and therapy may help people cope better with the more challenging aspects of ADHD.
“For children with ADHD, although there’s no cure, it can be managed with appropriate educational support, advice and support for parents and affected children, alongside medicine, if necessary,” the NHS explains. “For adults with ADHD, medicine is often the first treatment offered, although psychological therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) may also help.”