Nelly Furtado has opened up about her ‘superpower’ ADHD diagnosis as she revealed the advice she would give to her younger self.
The Canadian singer, 46, revealed in May 2023 that she had been diganosed with the neurodevelopmental condition 18 months prior in her early forties.
She appeared on an episode of Alex Partridge’s ADHD Chatter podcast on Tuesday to speak about her diagnosis – which she referred to as her ‘superpower’.
Nelly said: ‘I talked about that a lot last year when I was putting my album out, I was like “Yeah it’s a superpower” It is… but my friend once said to me “What would you change if you went back and you knew you had ADHD”.
‘But I don’t think it would have been better if I knew, does that make sense? I’m glad I’m finding out now to be honest. I’m glad I didn’t know. Is that weird? Because maybe I would have made excuses for myself. I wonder if I didn’t know.’
Recalling her childhood when she was unaware she had the condition, Nelly said she used to hide in the bathroom during large functions to self-regulate as she often got overwhelmed.
Nelly Furtado has opened up about her ‘superpower’ ADHD diagnosis as she revealed the advice she would give to her younger self
The Canadian singer, 46, revealed in May 2023 that she had been diganosed with the neurodevelopmental condition 18 months prior in her early forties (Seen in 2001)
She said: ‘Advice for young Nelly: One day this will all make sense, when you’re hiding in the bathroom stall because you don’t want to talk to people.
‘At big social festivals, like our church would throw these parties in the church hall and as a young kid I remember going and just feeling overwhelmed by everything – and then I’d have to go hide in the bathroom stall until I regulated.
‘I had to regulate my nervous system for like 15 minutes and then I could go back out. Which is so weird I know because I perform in front of so many people.’
It comes after Nelly made light of the reaction to her ‘new silhouette’ as she headlined Manchester Pride on Sunday after recently being lauded for her ‘gorgeous curves’.
Nelly, who revealed she has chosen the natural route with her looks and has proudly showed off her new silhouette in recent months, performed wearing an optical illusion ‘skinny’ T-shirt.
Seemingly making a jibe about body ideals, the cartoon in Nelly’s top wore a cropped white vest which showed off the stomach and a short mini skirt with a belt which spelt out the words ‘Whoa Nelly’.
The back of the top also featured the back of the woman, who had a ‘Better Than Ever’ tattoo in a nod to Nelly’s 2024 single of the same name. The colourful boots she was wearing also featured the same message.
Nelly wore her dark locks in a long braid and opted for glamorous makeup, accessorising with glitzy jewellery and pink gloves.
She appeared on an episode of Alex Partridge’s ADHD Chatter podcast on Tuesday to speak about her diagnosis – which she referred to as her ‘superpower’
Showing off her sizzling figure, Nelly danced and gyrated on stage, showing off her bottom in a pair of fishnet tights and black shorts.
Nelly, who shot to fame in 1996, has recently been praised for her ‘refreshing attitude’ towards body positivity.
Back in February, she sent fans wild with a stunning bikini-clad snap as she revealed the tricks celebrity makeup artists use for awards shows and red carpets.
‘HAVE A BODY NEUTRAL 2025, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, LOVE WITH EVERY INCH OF YOUR HEART ♥️THANKS FOR ALL THE MEMORIES THIS YEAR,’ the Maneater singer’s caption began.
‘This year I became aware of the aesthetic pressure of my work in a brand new way, while simultaneously I experienced new levels of self love and genuine confidence from within,’ she shared honestly.
The Grammy winner also revealed she had to take legal action against some ‘charlatans’ online who were ‘selling services based on selling health and beauty myths about me’.
She went on to state for the record that she’s never had any ‘face or body surgeries or augmentation, besides for veneers on the top row of my teeth, quite recently’.
Nelly also has not used face or lip injections or fillers.
Instead, her youthful glow comes from ‘a loving, old school facialist who I purchase serums and creams from and I started that when I was 20’.
She also revealed the trick used for photo shoots and red carpet appearances.
‘The day before photo shoots and red carpets I drink a lot of water and sleep on my back. Sometimes on the red carpet or at photo shoots my makeup artist uses face tape to give my eyes skin and makeup more lift.
‘Sometimes my stylist uses body tape to give a certain look to different silhouettes. Body makeup can also sometimes be contoured to achieve a certain look,’ she explained.
She praised the use of makeup, writing, ‘Makeup can do magical things! So can great eyebrows! So can a great hairstylist! So can great underthings!’
She concluded by writing that she has no makeup on and hasn’t used any editing or filters on the photos – just a good old fashioned ‘spray tan’.
