Made in Chelsea star Sam Thompson is set to reveal all in his new documentary about being diagnosed with ADHD.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder – commonly known as ADHD - affects an estimated 2.6 million people in the UK, but many go undiagnosed for years. Sam was one of those people, and says he's had multiple people in his life suggest that he might have the condition.
However, it was only when his partner, former Love Island star Zara McDermott, expressed a similar concern that he took it more seriously. He explains all about his condition and symptoms, as well as getting diagnosed, in a new E4 documentary.
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Before he was diagnosed, Sam said: "It caused me some anxiety, I felt like a bad person, and I used to beat myself up about it. But the diagnosis helps with that.
"A lot of people used to tell me they thought I had ADHD… As my life was going on, I came into contact with a lot of people who said I had it. It’s odd how people do that with neurodiversity.
"I knew there was something different in me from school, from growing up. But I never cared, I liked being different."
Common symptoms of ADHD include inattentiveness, like having a short attention span, being easily distracted, and having difficulty organising tasks, as well as hyperactivity and impulsiveness. These symptoms often cause people with ADHD to have difficulties in relationships and social interactions.
Sam said: "[My ADHD] made things different, and it could damage other relationships. I am lucky that Zara is the most relaxed person I have ever met, she just takes me for me." One scene in the documentary shows Zara trying to talk to Sam about something important while he struggles to focus.
He said: "[Zara] wouldn’t really say to me that I wasn’t listening, but I would get annoyed at myself. I had a problem with it because I was sitting there thinking that I love this girl, and she is talking to you about something that she is really passionate about – why can’t you just sit there and actually listen and actively focus? I used to think I was just self-centred.”
While they are not planning on having children just yet, being a father had also been on Thompson’s mind. He said: "For some reason, I kept on thinking to myself that I want to be a dad sometime – how am I supposed to look after a child if I can’t even look after myself? What if I have a moment where I get really frustrated? I don’t want to be doing that. I want to be a stable father who is an adult, who is able to look after people."
Sam added: "It has impacted past relationships, your focus is so all over the place anyway in your early 20s, but I definitely think when I was younger, my focus was on energy and vibes and being around people.
“Then when I wasn’t focusing on someone’s conversation, I wasn’t bothered by it. And now I am a bit older, I see that I should care about someone’s conversation – and it takes someone like Zara to make you sit there and make a change for the better.”
Sam spent six years on Made in Chelsea before going to present Love Island: Aftersun this year, after his TikToks reacting to the show went viral on the app.
Sam Thompson: Is This ADHD? airs on E4 on Monday, May 8.
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