Scott Thomas has opened up about a severe battle with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), for which he sought treatment at a residential rehabilitation clinic. The 37-year-old, who also has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), shared his experiences on the latest episode of his podcast, At Home With The Thomas Brothers.
Struggles with OCD
Speaking to his brothers Adam and Ryan, Scott admitted he was initially hesitant to reveal his OCD diagnosis, fearing judgment after previously discussing his struggles with alcoholism and other addictive behaviors. He described intrusive thoughts: 'If I didn't tap something a certain amount of times, I thought someone was going to die. And I'd be speaking to myself going, "Everything's okay. Everything's okay. Everything's okay."'
Scott explained his reluctance: 'I've not talked about this because I didn't want anybody on my socials to think, "f***ing hell, is there any problems this kid's not had?" Gambling, drink, everything. But then the more I've looked into it, I've been, it must be something to do with being neurodivergent, ADHD.'
Treatment at Priory Altrincham
His OCD became so severe that he required a stay at Priory Altrincham, a clinic in Hale that offers inpatient treatment for drug, alcohol, and mental health issues, including depression and anxiety. 'I was in Hale Priory for cognitive behavioral therapy to get rid of my OCD,' he said. 'It was that bad that I couldn't sleep in the middle of the night. I was literally just talking to myself going, "Everything's going to be okay." And even to this day, I still have OCD. And when I go to bed at night, I check my room three times. I check everything. Little thing, and I check under my pillow, like just little things.'
Sober Dating Challenges
Scott, who is now four years sober, previously discussed his addiction issues ahead of his appearance on Love Island: All Stars in 2025. He told the Daily Mail about the difficulties of dating without alcohol: 'I'm not really good with dating, especially like sober dating. I found that really difficult. One of the biggest challenges when I went sober - I'm two years sober now and I did a year in 2020 - I found sober dating quite intense, quite difficult. And if I'm honest, I've not really been through relationships because I was working on myself.'
He reflected on his past: 'I was a bit of a notorious party boy, I had a bit of a challenging relationship with alcohol and everything else. And I was just like, "you know what? I need to go on this journey and find me and look after me" and get back to the authentic Scott. I've kind of done that over the last couple of years and I was open.'
On his current approach, Scott added: 'The world is changing now. I'm becoming a lot more open to sober dating. I love a nice dog walk and going on coffee dates, so I don't think [dating in the villa without booze] will be much of a challenge. But I tell you what, in series two, it was a big challenge for me. I was petrified going on dates without alcohol. I would literally run out and try and grab glasses of wine off the tables! But I don't feel like that at all anymore so it just shows the journey that I've been on.'
What is OCD?
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common mental health condition characterized by obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors. It often develops in young adulthood and can be managed with therapy or medication. Risk factors include family history, brain chemistry differences, or major life events.
