Wrexham AFC owner and actor Rob McElhenney has revealed he has been diagnosed with a ‘host of neurodevelopmental disorders and learning disabilities’ at the age of 46, urging others to ‘struggle with similar things’ to remember they are ‘not stupid’.
McElhenney is well known for his turn as Ronald ‘Mac’ McDonald in long-running comedy series It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but also keeps himself busy these days as the co-owner of Welsh football club Wrexham, which he took on alongside Ryan Reynolds in 2020.
And he’s not been doing a bad job, either, as the team landed a promotion to the football league – for the first time in 15 years – after beating Boreham Wood 3-1 in April.
Indeed, he’s managed to pack a lot into his 46 years on this planet, but there’s one revelation that’s only just come to light, as McElhenney revealed he has been diagnosed with neurodevelopmental disorders and learning disabilities.
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The star took to Twitter, admitting it’s not news he would normally wish to discuss publicly, but realised he could help others going through a similar situation.
He also said he would be able to go into more detail about the diagnosis in a new episode of his The Always Sunny Podcast, which will be released in two weeks.
He wrote: “I was recently diagnosed with a host of neurodevelopmental disorders and learning disabilities! At 46!
“I go through the full diagnosis/prognosis on the @thesunnypodcast (which drops in 2 weeks).
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“It’s not something I would normally talk about publicly but I figured there are others who struggle with similar things and I wanted to remind you that you’re not alone.
“You’re not stupid. You’re not ‘bad’. It might feel that way sometimes.”
Sharing a smiley face emoticon, he added: “But it’s not true.”
Many of McElhenney's fans praised him for his candour in sharing his diagnosis, with one commenting: "Thank you for being so open and honest. Looking forward to listening to the podcast."
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Someone else wrote: "Amazing that you can share this with your fans and will inspire others to get tested that are in the same position."
A third added: "Inspiration. This is going to be such a help to many out there."
Many others shared their own experiences, with one other writing: "I’m autistic and it seriously means so much to me that you’re doing something like this. Thank you so much for opening up about it, it’s gonna help break down so much of the stigma around being neurodivergent!!"
Featured Image Credit: The Always Sunny Podcast/Instagram/@robmcelhenneyTopics: Celebrity, Rob McElhenney