Simon Pegg has revealed that he has been diagnosed with ADHD, saying the outcome "confirmed a lot of stuff that I’d been wrestling with".
The 56-year-old actor and writer is widely recognised for comedy films including Hot Fuzz, Shaun Of The Dead and The World’s End, as well as television series such as Doctor Who and Spaced.
Pegg discussed his neurodevelopmental condition on Thursday’s episode of the podcast I’m ADHD! No You’re Not, explaining he sought a formal assessment because he "just wanted to know".
"There was a lot of build up and suspicion, and it just took a while actually to get there," the actor said.
"It confirmed a lot of stuff that I’d been wrestling with, and that I’d been attributing to just character fault."
According to the NHS, ADHD is a condition in which the brain operates differently, impacting a person’s ability to concentrate, sit still and control impulses.
Pegg has been outspoken about his mental health, including suffering from clinical depression and struggling to control his drinking, which he said he thought had “caused” his diagnosis.
He added: “I felt like it was something that had come on in later life because I wasn’t a naughty child.
“I’ve had bouts of depression in my adult life since 18 and I thought maybe it had come on with that.
“Maybe over the years with therapy and medication – whatever – I’ve been treating the symptoms and not the cause of why I feel that way.”
Pegg also explained how learning about his diagnosis put his childhood behaviour in perspective, and said: “I did feel different in a way I might not be able to put my finger on. Maybe everybody feels that way.”
“I just assumed ADHD kids were kind of chaotic and difficult and didn’t pay attention in school,” he added.
“But there were other things that I did do as a kid – fidget or whatever – that made me think: Oh no, maybe I’ve had this longer than I thought.”
Reflecting on how his family has reacted to him having ADHD, Pegg said his wife is “dealing with it as if I’d been diagnosed ages ago”, adding: “It’s just who I am, and it’s just things that I do.
“She makes allowances for forgetfulness and lack of concentration.”
Later in the episode, Pegg spoke with hosts Paul Whitehouse and Dr Mine Conkbayir about why he has started to publicly discuss his mental health.
“I was very guarded when I first started out,” the star said.
“I didn’t really speak about anything private like this until about 2018 when I made a film about schizophrenia.
“Mental health was coming up a lot in the press chat, and that’s the first time I mentioned I had an issue with depression and with drinking.
“I was so bowled over by the amount of people that said, ‘Oh, thanks for talking about that’. I was so touched by it.”
I’m ADHD! No You’re Not is available on all podcast platforms at 6am every Thursday.
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