Game Of Thrones star Kit Harington has opened up on his ADHD diagnosis that he received in rehab - saying his life was 'hinging' on it.
The 37-year-old - who has openly struggled with addiction and OCD - said 'it was like being handed a set of keys to answer every question I’ve ever had about myself'.
Speaking onThe Hidden 20% podcast, the actor, who is best known for playing Jon Snow, provided fans with an insight into his struggles.
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"People would treat me like the character, who was a hero and good," he said, as reported by The Times.
"But in my life, personally I didn’t feel like that at all.
"And that, I think, [led to] some kind of psychological scarring. I was drinking a lot.
"I was going through addiction and everything that entails and hiding things and all sorts.
"And that was the polar opposite of the character I was playing, who couldn’t tell a lie."
"The disappointment shows in their face the minute you start talking.”
Harington then revealed that he was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) when he was in rehab back in 2019.
According to the NHS, ADHD is a condition that sees people suffer from restlessness, a possible lack of concentration and feeling the need to act on impulse.
“I realised that my life was hinging on this." he said.
"Luckily it was the right place at the right time. I managed to forge a new life from there.”
After he finished filming for the HBO series, the Pompeii star revealed that he had 'kind of a breakdown, where it all got too much' - with his 'rock bottom moment' occurring during his role in West End play True West.
"[The] character and me did get very mixed up at that point. I didn't know who I was, really. Continually drinking while playing an alcoholic. It was at its worst." he explained.
"It was during that play that I sort of collapsed and told people around me what was going on and finally took action.
"I entered rehab drunk, sobered up in there and went, 'Ah f*** this, not you guys in a circle. No, thank you?'
"And I left that pretty quick and said, 'I'll try to deal with this by myself.' Which didn't work after about four years."
Harington who shares two children with his wife and fellow GOT actor Rose Leslie, says that he believes he is a 'good father', adding: "Because I’m sober, I’m present."
However, his ADHD can pose some challenges, as he offers an example of spending time with his son playing a game where a stick is a dragon.
"I move it on, because I’m restless. I’m like, what’s the next thing? We’ve done the dragon stick thing. Whereas he’s quite content for hours." Harington said.
"The way my brain works is we need to get to whatever the next thing is, otherwise the world’s going to be destroyed.”
Charity AADD-UK has a list of support groups across the UK, including groups for adults, parents and carers.
Topics: Game of Thrones, Health, Kit Harington
Anish Vij