‘I just wept, I got really emotional’: What Sam Thompson has said about his ADHD diagnosis

Right now, Made in Chelsea star Sam Thompson is appearing in the jungle on I’m A Celeb. From the very first episode, people jumped to Twitter to talk about how enthusiastic he was meeting the other celebs, and how much of a big character he was in the jungle. But, not all of the comments have been so positive. However, people have been quick to point out Sam Thompson has been very open about his recent ADHD diagnosis, which people need to consider before talking about his personality whilst on the show.

“If I see hate about Sam Thompson being too enthusiastic I’m going to RIOT, he’s been so open about his struggles with ADHD and autism and he seems so genuinely kind,” one person said.

Sam Thompson was diagnosed with ADHD when he was 30

Just this year, Sam was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) aged 30. In interviews he has said he thought his symptoms were a “mid-life crisis” when he started struggling with parts of every day life. He then went to the doctor’s and said finding out what was causing this change in himself “changed his life”.

Speaking to MailOnline, he said of his diagnosis: “I didn’t think I would be bothered, and after six hours of therapy she told me I had ADHD.”

“It was definitely a relief,” he added. “I just wept, I got really emotional.” Speaking of how this changed his life, Sam added: “I think just knowing I have it has made me a better person, more self-aware. I want to be a dad, I’m not saying now but at some point I want to know I can look after someone. I want to be the person they look up to and feel safe with and I can provide for.”

Sam has said he was previously dismissed as “lacking focus” and not “trying hard enough” at school, which he now knows was his ADHD. “I just don’t think that’s true and I didn’t quite understand, I knew something was different,” he told The Mirror. “I remember crying into a textbook once at school because the words wouldn’t go in, I couldn’t focus on the book.”

He created a documentary about his ADHD diagnosis

Sam created a documentary, titled “Is This ADHD?” earlier this year. It was first released on Channel 4 in May, and the synopsis reads: “Sam Thompson has spent his whole life struggling with inattention, disorganisation and hyperactivity. After turning 30, Sam wants to finally figure out if these issues are quirks of his personality, or if they’re symptoms of ADHD.”

Sam’s girlfriend, Zara McDermott, also featured in the documentary, and spoke of how Sam’s ADHD impacts their relationship and home life. “I run around after him trying to kind of patch over the things that he’s kind of like half done,” she said in the doc. Sam said finding out how his condition was also affecting Zara was “really tough”.

His documentary is available on demand now.

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