Zoe Ball has revealed that her teenage daughter Nelly has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), joining her and her brother Woody in living with the condition. The former BBC Radio 2 breakfast show host, 55, shared the news during her Dig It podcast with Jo Whiley, discussing how her children have helped her understand her own neurodivergence.
Ball, who has ADHD herself, said learning about her children's experiences has been enlightening. “It's been by learning about their situation and how they cope with things, deal with things, that I've learned about my own,” she explained. Nelly, 16, is managing well and new medication has eased her final school year, helping her focus on exams.
The presenter, who lives in Brighton and Hove with her partner, TV production designer Mathieu Weekes, described her household as “chaos” with three “ADHD-ers” and a “lodger” who brings order. “He's brought a bit of calm and order into this house of chaos,” she said, adding that she has come to appreciate structure.
Ball reflected on her own struggles, noting that her ADHD may have contributed to her partying in the Nineties, always chasing a buzz. She now values quiet, saying, “I like the calm and the quiet. I think if you have ADHD, you feel things. You take things so personally.”
Of Nelly, Ball said she is “smart, sassy as hell” and strong-willed, confident she will be fine in the world. She also noted that Nelly has developed her own coping strategies, like tidying her room every Sunday night.
