Sam Thompson opens up about ADHD diagnosis on I'm a Celebrity
I'm a Celebrity spoilers follow.
Sam Thompson has opened up about his ADHD diagnosis in poignant scenes on I'm a Celebrity.
The Made in Chelsea star was diagnosed with ADHD and autism last year, and has previously explored his own journey with neurodiversity in the acclaimed film Sam Thompson: Is This ADHD?.
In Thursday's (November 30) episode, Sam had a chance to speak about his diagnosis with campmates Josie Gibson and Marvin Humes around the campfire.
Sam explained that he'd been diagnosed as an adult, adding: "[It happened] last year, mate. There’s loads of people who are actually like of a certain age who get diagnosed way later. When the low bits happen it goes low. But then the highs are really high.
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"My girlfriend Zara is so steady and it’s so good for me. When she’s going steady I’m going like that [motions a wavy line]."
Sam went on: “My timekeeping is terrible. I get quite selfish, not just with her [my girlfriend], with everyone, my mates or whatever. My listening to Zara… I’m just finding myself staring off at something completely different. You sort of feel like you’re a bit of a kook sometimes.”
Josie and Marvin were encouraging over Sam's personality, reminding him that he "would not be Sam without it".
"[It's] weird no one spotted it beforehand at school, but if you look at all of my report cards, every single one says the same, it says: ‘Likeable enough guy, but lacks focus’. It’s staring at you in the face," he recalled.
"If I’d known as a kid, not much would have changed, but how you feel about yourself probably changes. I remember crying into my textbook because I couldn’t understand the words going into my head. You want to do good. You don’t want to be mischievous or anything like that.”
In the Bushtucker Telegraph, Sam wondered how his life may have been different with a diagnosis earlier in his life, though he insisted he's "not ashamed of having ADHD in any way".
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"I know that I would have felt better about myself at school if I’d been diagnosed with it at a younger age. I really was just like, ‘I just suck at everything.’”
The reality star also looked ahead to his future as a father someday, saying he wants to be able to "sit down, have an honest conversation, being able to listen [and] advise".
"Trust me, all my kids care about is giving them attention, being with them in the moment, loving them, cuddling them, they just want to have all of you and to be as fun as possible and feel loved," Marvin assured him.
Sam's girlfriend Zara McDermott has previously spoken out to combat unhelpful comments about Sam, saying she's been encouraged by how he's related to other campmates.
"I think all of us are different and there's so many different personalities in there, but no one has said anything unkind to him or about him at all? Unless I'm watching something different?" she noted.
"Sam knows he's got a lot of energy and can be full on to people sometimes but I think that's why so many people warm to him!"
I'm a Celebrity… airs on ITV1 and ITVX.
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