Before Sam Thompson went into the I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! jungle, he took up a worthier project in documentary filmmaking. The 31-year-old was curious about whether or not he had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a condition that affects people's behaviour, so he sought a diagnosis on Channel 4’s Is This ADHD?. He was later diagnosed with ADHD, autism and tic disorder.
It was his raw vulnerability on screen then that drew fans in at first, and now his bubbly, energic personality has shone through on I’m A Celebrity – so much so he’s in the running to win the gruelling, Australia-based reality show. But as comes with the weight of the cruel spotlight, many viewers have chastised the reality star as ‘too much’ or ‘annoying’ due to his endless enthusiasm. Even some of his fellow camp mates have expressed exhaustion at his behaviour, Sam’s fans rushing to his defence online to highlight that actually, much of how he behaves is uncontrollable thanks to ADHD and autism.
For those watching who also experience ADHD, Sam’s journey – and the resultant reaction from campmates and commentators online – has been a rollercoaster for them too. ‘Having ADHD myself and watching the group making catty remarks about Sam’s excess energy, forgetfulness, annoyance, being “a lot” just shows why people with ADHD feel so shit about themselves all the time,’ one viewer said on Twitter.
‘It’s nice to see people be understanding of Sam and loving who he is,’ another viewer, Megan Marie, 30, who also had ADHD, told Grazia. ‘However, there are still negative comments about the way he acts which he can’t help. It highlights that there is still a lot of stigma.’
Despite the public reaction proving there’s a severe lack of awareness and empathy around ADHD symptoms, Megan says she was happy to see more representation of neurodiversity on television. Catherine, 24, who also had ADHD, agrees. ‘What I like about Sam is that he’s so open about the issues with ADHD,’ she tells Grazia. ‘He says “the lows are so low” or that he sometimes comes across as uninterested, which is such a refreshing take on the subject. When ADHD is discussed on TV normally, it’s often under the illusion that it’s a “superpower” when the reality is rather far from the truth or in my experience it is.’
ADHD symptoms in women can often present differently to men. Catherine for example, who was only diagnosedaged 23, says she was never a troublemaker in school (as Sam admitted he was during his time in the jungle) and her symptoms weren’t noticeable until she finished her Master’s degree.
The world would be better if more people like Sam were in it.
‘My brain constantly feels like a packed shopping centre on Christmas Eve with loud music playing almost 24/7,’ she explains. ‘You can imagine the internal stress, it’s never quiet which makes it difficult to concentrate because you’re always thinking of the next thing you have to do which means nothing really ever gets done.’
Megan similarly struggles with staying focused and interrupting people, and also wasn’t diagnosed until she was 24. For her, seeing people like Sam on screen is important to show ‘not everyone with ADHD is the same.’
A worthy winner then, Sam Thompson’s popularity on I’m A Celebrity is about more than just himself. His likeability on screen is a reminder to countless others with ADHD that having a behavioural disorder doesn’t have to be isolating. Sam is as lovable as any of the celebrities on screen, if anything, even more so!