Johnny Vegas has revealed that rediscovering his passion for art and ceramics is helping him manage his ADHD. The comedian, whose real name is Michael Pennington, was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in 2003.
Speaking to The Times, the 54-year-old actor, known for roles in Benidorm, Bleak House and Ideal, described his experience with the condition. 'ADHD is a bit like being surrounded by butterflies and trying to decide which one to catch,' he said. 'So many thoughts and ideas, it becomes white noise. The flipside is if I do lock on to something, I can lose myself for five or six hours.'
Vegas, who studied ceramics before his comedy career, said the practice has helped him focus. 'Ceramics, and art has recently found its way back into my life in a big way,' he explained. 'I see beauty in all sorts of shapes.' However, his dedication has come at a cost: 'I gave myself a hernia bringing back a load of sea-worn bricks that were dumped on Crosby Beach after the Blitz.'
In January 2023, Vegas told BBC Breakfast that his diagnosis 'answers a lot of questions about behavioural issues'. He added: 'There's that sense of disorganisation and doing basic tasks... when you don't have a filter at all, very simple things can become very time consuming.'
New NHS England figures estimate that nearly 2.5 million people in England have ADHD, including those undiagnosed. Of these, around 741,000 are children and young people aged five to 24. The data also shows that more than half a million people were waiting for an ADHD assessment at the end of March 2025, up from 416,000 a year earlier.
