Angela Scanlon explains why she has not had ADHD diagnosis
Angela Scanlon says she is “90 per cent sure” she has ADHD but has avoided a formal diagnosis.
Angela Scanlon has avoided getting an Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) diagnosis.
The 41-year-old TV presenter wrote in her December 4 HotMesser Substack that she is "90 per cent sure" she has the neurodevelopmental disorder - which causes someone to be inattentive, hyperactive and impulsive - but feels unsure if a diagnosis would be "freeing or if it would box me in".
But, ultimately, Angela - who described in the article her "kaleidoscopic" brain sees "twelve angles of everything, all at once, all the time" - prefers taking a more challenging option in life.
The Celebrity Apprentice candidate explained in the new issue of HELLO! magazine: "I do enjoy when there's lots of things going on.
"I used to berate myself that I couldn't do one thing and focus all of my efforts into it, and now I realise that actually, it's just not how my brain works."
Angela - who published her book Joyrider, in which she shares how focusing on small positives in life can transform it for the better, in 2022 - continued: "Since I wrote my book, I have had experts in my inbox telling me.
"But I actually have resisted having a diagnosis for unknown reasons - because I always like to take the hard path."
Since becoming a mum to daughters Ruby, seven, and Marnie, three, with her husband, entrepreneur Roy Horgan, The One Show host has realised she can take on more work than she initially thought.
Angela said: "I went through a period where I was not very good at managing my workload, and then enter two children, and that becomes a whole other layer.
"I needed to have certain things in the day to make me feel half sane, and now I realise I'm actually a bit more bendy than I thought I was."
The Strictly Come Dancing 2023 contestant thinks her chaotic brain is a superpower.
Angela added: "I can really go for it when work is busy, knowing that there will be downtime, rather than holding on for dear life.
"There have been periods in my life where I have not been busy at all, despite the optics. So to have things I feel passionate about, and to be able to do all of them, is brilliant."
Angela revealed in her December 4 HotMesser Substack that she almost broke down in tears during a recent photoshoot after the photographer said she was "really good at managing a lot of different things" because it "reflects back to me that the exact thing I’ve judged myself for".
The Thanks a Million podcast host penned in her article: "It lands in a place that has been sore for a long time.
"It soothed the part of me that is always braced for misunderstanding. The part that expects eye-rolls or sighs or subtle 'you’re too much' energy.
"What I realised in that moment was I didn’t need help. I needed to be seen."
