Sam Thompson has been flooded with messages of support after speaking candidly about a diagnosis he says he has been 'trying to understand'. The presenter, podcast host and reality star, who has previously been open about having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), addressed his autism diagnosis in a recent social media post.
A diagnosis he's been trying to understand
Thompson, now 33, was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 30, a journey he documented in the E4 film Sam Thompson: Is This ADHD?. He has since used his platform to raise awareness and released a book, You, Me & ADHD, earlier this year, hoping to help others who receive the same diagnosis at an earlier stage than he did.
However, the I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here winner has spoken less about also being diagnosed with Autism, something he addressed in his latest post. Alongside a series of pictures of himself, each with a caption explaining how the condition impacts him, he wrote: "I get asked all the time about why I don’t talk about my Autism as much as my ADHD and I guess it’s because I’ve been trying to understand it myself [crying laughing emoji]."
Opening up about autistic shutdown and social struggles
In his first post, Thompson admitted that it has taken "a fair amount of therapy" for him to understand being Autistic, before adding that he finds it difficult to know "where the ADHD stops and the Autism begins". He went on to open up about experiencing 'Autistic shutdown' when he struggles to regulate his feelings and emotions, and how at social gatherings, he can either be the most talkative in the group, or not speak at all.
Thompson also shared how he struggles to "stop analysing the world around me" and how having both ADHD and Autism can see different traits emerge simultaneously.
Messages of love and support
After sharing the post, the former Made in Chelsea star was flooded with messages of love and support. Celebs Go Dating agent Anna Williamson said: "This is beautiful Sammy just like you." @autismwithfreddie commented: "Thanks for speaking up Sam, we need more males voices."
@janefosterdesigns replied: "Thank you for speaking up on your autistic side too! I’m late diagnosed AuDHD and it’s an interesting combination which I agree takes time to figure out and process! Good for you!!" @fellinlovewiththesky_ wrote: "This is beautiful and such an important post." @hayleyfedor posted: "I’m going to read this to my autistic/adhd son so he knows he’ll be ok." @samdevillepilates added: "Sam you’re a legend. Thanks for sharing all the crazy quirks of your neurodiversity journey, it makes us all feel normal, whenever that is!"
