Aimee Lou Wood has revealed she was diagnosed with ADHD and autism after struggling with ‘social anxiety’ as a child.
The actress, 31, has found worldwide fame thanks to her roles in Sex Education and The White Lotus, and in a new interview, she revealed that she went for an assessment, after being ‘almost mute’ due to her crippling shyness from a young age.
Speaking to The Sunday Times’ Culture Magazine, Aimee shared that she also battled with an eating disorder, meaning she couldn’t sit down and eat with her family.
She said: ‘I was almost mute, very socially anxious. I couldn’t sit down and eat a meal. My mum had to leave food around the house and I’d have to snack around. Now I know it was neurodivergence.’
Aimee admitted she struggled to understand why certain tasks proved to be so challenging to her, before she was told she had Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
She added: ‘I got diagnosed a few years ago with ADHD with autistic traits. But then it’s been advised that I should go for an autism assessment.
Aimee Lou Wood has revealed she was diagnosed with ADHD and autism after struggling with ‘social anxiety’ as a child
‘They think that maybe it’s autism that’s leading the charge, and the ADHD is almost a by-product of the masking.’
Aimee also went onto detail how her rapid rise to fame in Sex Education caused her to struggled with insecurities about her appearance, and she started to ‘desexualise herself,’ by wearing less glamorous clothes.
The actress is set to star in the much-anticipated finale to The White Lotus third series, which will air in the UK on Monday, April 7.
The Stockport native has previously spoken about her ‘turbulent’ upbringing, revealing her father battled drink and drug addiction that would see him leave the family home without warning for days on end.
She told The Guardian: ‘He would go out for a pint and not come back for days. He once went out and didn’t come back for 10 weeks because he’d been to the World Cup in Korea.’
Aimee continued: ‘He was a party animal on the scene in Manchester so he would hang out with celebrities and Manchester City football players; he had a massive ego, so that gave him validation.
‘Because of him, my mum had to carry a lot on her shoulders. She tried to protect us, and took responsibility for it, in a way.’
Her parents ended up divorcing while she was at school, with Aimee living with her mother and new partner.
The actress revealed that she went for an assessment, after being ‘almost mute’ due to her cripping shyness from a young age
Aimee (pictured in The White Lotus) shared that she also battled with an eating disorder, meaning she couldn’t sit down and eat with her family
The Stockport native has previously spoken about her ‘turbulent’ upbringing, revealing her father battled drink and drug addiction
Aimee’s stepfather paid for her to attend a private secondary school, where she was able to explore her love of acting by studying drama.
Yet she felt out of place with her thick Stockport accent, admitting she was bullied by her ‘posh’ classmates and teased about her ‘Bugs Bunny’ teeth.
Her self-confidence ended up through the floor, with Aimee admitting she didn’t believe she would land good roles because she wasn’t ‘conventional-looking enough’.
Aimee also previously spoke about battling body dysmorphia in childhood, telling Harper’s Bazaar: ‘I hated my body and didn’t want to be in it – that’s not the case any more, thank God.
‘But then, going to drama school, it can get even worse. I have scoliosis [curvature of the spine], so neutral for me is not neutral for everyone else.
‘You go to drama school and everyone’s being straightened out. It’s not easy being told you’re moving wrong – it’s basically a tirade on your body.’
Her struggle with bulimia was noticed by the staff when she trained at RADA, leading to a ‘harsh but necessary’ intervention.
Through therapy she was able to reframe her issues with her body as well as unpack the childhood trauma she faced.
Aimee’s father is now clean and sober, and their relationship is far healthier.
On working through her problems, she shared: ‘It’s hard with addicts: you feel like you spend your whole life congratulating them for getting sober, but what about the people who get left behind?
‘I guess therapy has helped me to unpick a lot. I’m learning through therapy that some people have a really steady line in life and then… poof, trauma. While others are working through a constant flow of s**t.’
