Sam Thompson has earned praise from fans after revealing he's been diagnosed with autism, two years after he was diagnosed with ADHD.
Sam took to Instagram to share the news of his diagnosis. He shared a clip of him walking down a street with another version of himself, accompanied by the text 'You got diagnosed with ADHD in your late twenties, but something doesn’t add up...' The other self is labelled 'ADHD.' Another Sam dressed in an orange dinosaur suit turns the corner, with the label 'autism.' In the caption, he simply wrote: 'Knew there was more to the story.'
Autism is a condition that affects how people interact with others, communicate, learn, and behave. According to Autism speaks, it is characterised by differences in social communication, a need for predictability, sensory processing differences, focused interests, and repeated behaviours.
Sam's fans were quick to show their support in the comments. 'Welcome to the gang, life truly makes sense from this point onwards!' one user wrote. Another praised Sam's approach to the topic, writing 'A guy not being afraid to speak up and share his diagnosis and doing it with humour, is a superpower in my opinion. That kind of openness will definitely help others on their journey too.'
This comes five months after Sam and Zara Mcdermott confirmed their split. A source at the time insisted to MailOnline that Sam and Zara's break-up wasn’t down to a ‘scandal or fallout,' but simply 'the result of a difficult year, where they both had to spend a lot of time focused on their own projects.’
Sam was first diagnosed with ADHD in 2023. In his documentary Sam Thompson: Is This ADHD?, the former MIC star outlined his symptoms. ‘I really struggle to concentrate, can’t stay still for very long,’ he said. ‘I struggle with emotional control. It’s nice to know that there is something happening in my brain that might be different to other people because a lot of the time I just thought I was a dick.’
During his stint on I'm A Celebrity, Sam opened up further about his diagnosis. He said he was 'not ashamed', of his ADHD, and has previously called it a 'blessing' and a 'superpower.' Sam even became the official ambassador for ADHD UK last year, and he recently shared an emotional video of him giving advice to children with ADHD.
In the caption, he wrote: 'Since I left the jungle, I've met so many children and adults who have come up to me, or contacted me to say I've helped change their minds on how they view ADHD,' continuing 'I want to reach as many people as I possibly can, especially young people, and show there is such magic in being neurodiverse. Yes there are some very real challenges along the way, but with the right support, it can be a superpower, it can be a blessing and we can achieve all of our dreams.'