Aimee Lou Wood reveals ADHD and autism diagnosis after struggling with 'social anxiety' as a child
Aimee Lou Wood has opened up about her attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism diagnosis, and how she struggled to communicate as a child.
In a recent interview, the Sex Education star, 30, said that with ADHD, she now understands why certain tasks used to challenge her when she was younger.
According to the NHS, ADHD is a condition which sees people suffer from restlessness, a possible lack of concentration and feeling the need to act on impulse.
Although ADHD symptoms can be noticed at an early age, sometimes it takes until adulthood for people to get officially diagnosed, which was the case for Aimee.
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The White Lotus actor, who also struggled with an eating disorder, told The Sunday Times' Culture Magazine: "I was almost mute, very socially anxious. I couldn't sit down and eat a meal.
"My mum had to leave food around the house and I'd have to snack around. Now I know it was neurodivergence."
She continued: "I got diagnosed a few years ago with ADHD with autistic traits. But then it's been advised that I should go for an autism assessment.
"They think that maybe it's autism that's leading the charge, and the ADHD is almost a by-product of the masking."
Aimee rose to fame on Sex Education and has admitted to feeling 'quite vulnerable' on screen because of performing in a number of naked scenes.
She felt like she was featuring in a lot more of nude scenes, compared with other young actors.
Although, the actor said she didn't feel nervous at all when doing her intimate scenes in The White Lotus, in which she has a starring role in the new third season.
She credited this to having 'really helpful chats' with her fellow co-stars, which made her feel 'less alone', as well as being granted career-first control by her intimacy coordinator.
Aimee said: “When I was younger and I was dealing with my eating stuff, it was my worst nightmare to get my body out.
“But I’d worked through that stuff — and then I was back to covering up. I look back and there was so much in the way that I started to desexualise myself.
“Sometimes you just want to put on a sexy dress and be a siren, but I denied myself that.”
The Stockport native is known for starring in the BBC comedy series Daddy Issues, as well as Sally Bowles in the musical Cabaret in 2023, for which she won the award for best takeover performance at the 2024 WhatsOnStage Awards.
Anish Vij