Over the years many brave celebrities have come forward to speak openly about being diagnosed with autism as an adult. The neurodevelopmental disorder is most common in children, but some people can go years without a proper diagnosis. Some celebs who have bravely spoken about their health condition include
prison Break's Wentworth Miller, Susan Boyle and Melanie Sykes. According to the NHS , common signs of autism in adults include finding it hard to understand what others are thinking or feeling and getting very anxious about social situations. Other symptoms include finding it hard to make
Friends or preferring to be on your own, seeming blunt, rude or not interested in others without meaning to and. finding it hard to say how you feel. An adult with autism may also take things very literally - for example, you may not understand sarcasm or phrases like "break a leg". They may also have the same routine every day and getting very anxious if it changes. They may also display other signs, like: not understanding social "rules", such as not talking over people avoiding eye contact getting too close to other people, or getting very upset if someone touches or gets too close to you noticing small details, patterns, smells or sounds that others do not having a very keen interest in certain subjects or activities liking to plan things carefully before doing them Christine McGuinness Christine McGuinness, 36, has worked hard to raise awareness of autism for years, ever since her three children were diagnosed with it. In her book A Beautiful Nightmare, she revealed how she was diagnosed with autism. "I have been confirmed as autistic. It’s strange, but I’ve noticed there are little hints throughout my life that I’m autistic and more like my children than I ever could have imagined," she said in her book. She added: "My diagnosis came in August. Patrick [her ex-husband Paddy McGuinness] and I were invited to meet with expert Sir Simon Baron-Cohen at Cambridge University. "Patrick and I filled out what’s called an AQ questionnaire. It tests for symptoms of autism. While lots of people might carry a few traits, to actually be classed as autistic you’re required to score a high number, and I did. The scale goes from zero to 50 and the average neurotypical person would score up to 15. "While my husband was bang-on average, mine was 36, which is high. Those two weeks between finding out I’d scored high on the test and my official diagnosis from Simon were a turbulent whirlwind of upset and trying to process the idea I could be autistic. Sir Simon quickly put me out of my misery and confirmed I’m autistic. And not just mildly – I’m quite high up the spectrum." Melanie Sykes Melanie Sykes TV presenter Melanie Sykes in 2021 opened up on been diagnosed with autism at 51 years old. Taking to
Social Media to share the news, she wrote: "This week has been truly life-changing. Or rather, life-affirming. "As many of you may or may not know, I was diagnosed with autism late Thursday afternoon. And then, finally, so many things made sense. I cannot begin to tell you the sense of relief this is for me and how much I celebrate this diagnosis. I now have a deeper understanding of myself, my life, and the things I have endured." Alex Reid Celebrity Big Brother winner Alex Reid Celebrity Big Brother winner Alex Reid was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome at the age of 45. The former MMA fighter says he's always felt different. In 2021, Alex spoke to the Mirror about his diagnosis . "It's a relief in many ways," he said about his diagnosis. "But it's a bit unnerving because it's coming to terms with new things, but it also explains so much." Alex accidentally discovered he may have Asperger's after an encounter with a random family who happened to have an autistic child. During a chat with the family, the parents began noticing similarities between him and their child. "They saw that in interviews I can sometimes be so together and then I can completely fall apart," he said. "They said they thought I was autistic. "I've always thought of autism being like Rain Man and thought that wasn't me, but understanding it more now it makes so much sense. My friends, the Boyce family, suggested I had an autism test and I came up significantly autistic." Wentworth Miller
Actor Wentworth Miller Wentworth Miller, well-known for his role in the hit series Prison Break, described his autism diagnosis as 'a shock, but not a surprise'. The
Hollywood star found out about his diagnosis during the
Coronavirus pandemic. Taking to his
Instagram account in 2021, he said: "This fall marks 1 year since I received my informal autism diagnosis. Preceded by a self-diagnosis. Followed by a formal diagnosis. It was a long, flawed process in need of updating. IMO. I’m a middle-aged man. Not a 5-year-old." Susan Boyle Britain's Got Talent star Susan Boyle Britain's Got Talent star Susan Boyle said finding out about her Asperger's Syndrome diagnosis, which is a form of autism, was a 'relief' Susan, who was diagnosed at 51 in 2012, said: “I was told I had brain damage when I was a kid. It was the wrong diagnosis. I always knew it was an unfair label. “Now I have a clearer understanding of what’s wrong and I feel relieved and a bit more relaxed about myself. I went to seek a diagnosis from a specialist. Nobody told me to. I thought I had a more serious illness and couldn’t function properly.” Other famous people on the spectrum include: Sir Anthony Hopkins Chris Packham Courtney Love Greta Thunberg
Elon Musk Tallulah Willis