Ant McPartlin Reveals He Has ADHD

Ant McPartlin has revealed he has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

"I've got ADHD. I don't mind talking about that," he told the Sun.

"I never knew that until afterwards. I was so thoroughly examined and diagnosed, I found stuff out about me I hadn't addressed for years."

Ant said his diagnosis immediately 'made sense', as the condition can apparently often go hand-in-hand with alcohol problems.

"There are a lot of links to alcohol-dependency, which I studied a lot when I was away," he said.

Ant also mentioned Richard Bacon and Rory Bremner, who also have ADHD and have found their condition may actually have helped with their TV work.

PA

He continued: "There's a lot of characteristics that held me in good stead working in live television. Richard [Bacon] said the same.

"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.

"I need to be cared for and looked after. I need to be aware of things more and I am now."

McPartlin was arrested in March on suspicion of drink-driving, after being involved in a car accident in Richmond, London. He was questioned by police but was released shortly after.

He pleaded guilty to drink driving in April. With 75mcg of alcohol in his bloodstream at the time of arrest, he was double the legal limit.

McPartlin decided to take time away from television while he returned to rehab, following last summer's stint in rehab for an alcohol and painkiller addiction.

Yesterday, however, Ant and his co-host Dec reunited publicly for the first time, as filming for the upcoming series of the talent show kicked off with auditions at the London Palladium.

Dec appeared on stage alone first saying: "We've got the judges back, the golden buzzer is back, and someone else is back. My co-host for the series, would you please welcome... Mr Ant McPartlin."

Ant then ran out to take a bow, saying to the audience: "Hello everyone. Oh god, I'm really really emotional now. I've missed you all. As for you (pointing at Dec) I've missed you. Thank you very much, what a warm welcome."

He added: "What a great show to come back to, I'm thrilled, I'm over the moon. Shall we move on before I cry?"

Topics: Entertainment, TV and Film, Celebrity, Ant McPartlin, Ant and Dec

Jess Hardiman

Jess is a journalist at LADbible who graduated from Manchester University with a degree in Film Studies, English Language and Linguistics - indecisiveness at its finest, right there. She also works for FOODbible and its sister page Seitanists, which are both a safe haven for her to channel a love for homemade pasta, fennel and everything else in between. You can contact Jess at [email protected].

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