Sam Thompson "didn't want to let people down" with his ADHD documentary.
Sam Thompson didn't want to let others down with his ADHD documentary
The 'Made in Chelsea' star, 30, went through a series of tests to determine if he has the neurological condition that affects aspects of life such as behaviour and concentration and ended up "wishing" for a diagnosis so it didn't make things "awkward" for the sake of his upcoming TV programme.
He told RadioTimes.com: "At the start I was like, 'I've probably got it!' And then when you're going through the motions, it becomes so much more real. I was like, 'I'm going to find out something that is probably going to change my life' because I've always been good at putting things in the back of my head and being like, 'Whatever that hasn't happened yet!' And then you have this conversation with this therapist for like six hours they go through your school reports and it's like a very intense thing.
"And then, there was a part of me as well that was like, 'Oh God, I almost wished I had, because I don't want to let people down.' Imagine we'd done this whole documentary and used resources that could potentially be used for someone else, and then I didn't have it. That would be so awkward. So it was a mixture of things really."
The 'Celebs Go Dating' star went on to add that while he didn't think a diagnosis would be such a "big deal", he ended up in tears upon being told the news that he does in fact have ADHD as he realised that he is a "special person" after all.
He said: "I didn't think it would be that big of a deal. I just thought it was going to be like, 'Hey, you have ADHD!' and 'Cool, like when we go from there?' But, it was emotional! I said to my director, 'Just to let you know I'm not like a crier. Like I'm not going to be bawling my eyes out!
"And then I went and sat down, and after six hours you're pretty drained anyway and then she went, 'I imagine you've been feeling a certain way about yourself throughout a lot of your life. And I just want to let you know, you're a very special person.' I literally was like, 'Oh my god!' And I had like a singular tear that went down. It really hit me and I just obviously didn't realise how much I wanted to hear that. I just think I've just hardened myself to a lot of stuff. Someone just sitting there like, 'You're a good guy!' That was really nice! And I had a little cry, which I just didn't expect at all. I just didn't think was gonna be that emotional, but it really was."
'Sam Thompson: Is This ADHD?’ airs E4 and All4 at 9pm on May 8.