Emmerdale star Bradley Riches has delivered an emotional account of how acting fundamentally transformed his life after being diagnosed with autism as a child.
The 23-year-old actor, who plays Lewis Barton in the popular ITV soap, appeared on Friday's edition of Loose Women (November 21) where he revealed he didn't use formal verbal communication until he was ten years old.
The Childhood Struggle
Bradley received his autism diagnosis at just nine years old and developed unique methods to express himself during his early years. "I didn't use words for formal communication until I was 10," he told the panel during his candid conversation.
When asked how he managed to communicate during that period, Bradley explained: "Through sound, movement, and communication cards. For example, if my shoes weren't feeling right, I would have a card and slap it to communicate with my parents."
Acting as Lifeline
The transformation began when his grandmother made what initially seemed like an unusual suggestion. "My nan being like, 'Oh, let's just throw him into a drama class for confidence.' I was like, OK, that's bonkers," Bradley recalled with humour.
However, this decision proved life-changing. "I feel like acting definitely saved me in a lot of ways," he revealed emotionally. The actor described how he began listening to American accents on television and gradually started imitating them, using characters as a vehicle to discover his own voice.
Bradley explained the process: "Through characters, I kind of learned about myself. So through a character, I've kind of embedded, OK, how would Bradley say this? How would I do this? Through acting, it was kind of an escapism, and it was kind of changing."
Representing His Communities
The former Heartstopper star, who joined Emmerdale earlier this year, expressed his excitement about playing a character that reflects his own experiences. When he discovered his character Lewis Barton was both gay and autistic, he immediately recognised the significance.
"When I found out Lewis was an autistic character, everything I do, every job I take, I've always wanted to kind of fly the flag for the community I'm a part of, be it the queer community or the autistic community," Bradley stated passionately.
He added with enthusiasm: "So when I found out Lewis was a double, gay and autistic, I was like, get in there! I have always wanted to tell stories, autistic stories, especially positive ones."
Bradley's appearance on Loose Women provided a powerful insight into how creative expression can break down communication barriers and create meaningful representation on television.
Loose Women airs weekdays at 12.30pm on ITV, while Emmerdale screens weeknights on ITV1 at 7.30pm and streams from 7am on ITVX.
