Bradley Riches opens up about his autism in Thursday night’s upcoming episode of Celebrity Big Brother.
The Heartstopper actor, 22, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of nine, speaks to some of the housemates about the condition.
He reveals he’s written a book about a boy that’s growing up and is diagnosed with autism, which is based on his own personal experiences.
Quizzing Bradley on how he is doing, musical theatre star Marisha Wallace asks of his Big Brother experience: ‘Isn’t this a lot?’
Bradley replies: ‘Oh my god, yes.’
Heartstopper’s Bradley Riches opens up about his autism in Thursday night’s episode of Celebrity Big Brother
The actor, 22, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of nine, speaks to some of the housemates about the condition
Before adding: ‘It’s a lot but I’ve got my coping mechanisms, that’s the main reason I wanted to come here, to push myself.’
Speaking of growing up with autism, he says: ‘It’s tiny things but sometimes they add a lot of pressure.’
Commending Bradley, Marisha says: ‘I think you’ve done so well!’
Before adding: ‘You are doing everything right and you’re being yourself and it’s beautiful.’
Bradley is best known for portraying James McEwan in the hit international Netflix show, Heartstopper.
Bradley’s role was quite small in the beginning of the smash series, however by the second season his storyline grew substantially.
During this time, his character developed a crush on bookworm Isaac Henderson (Tobie Donovan), who was struggling to juggle their relationship alongside accepting his asexual identity.
Bradley, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of nine, has been entertaining audiences in on-stage productions since 2016.
He reveals he’s written a book about a boy that’s growing up and is diagnosed with autism, which is based on his own personal experiences
Quizzing Bradley on how he is doing, musical theatre star Marisha Wallace asks of his Big Brother experience: ‘Isn’t this a lot?’ Bradley replies: ‘Oh my god, yes’
He added: ‘It’s a lot but I’ve got my coping mechanisms, that’s the main reason I wanted to come here, to push myself’
Featuring in shows such as Goodnight Mister Tom, A Christmas Story: The Musical and Footloose, the actor shared that he uses his craft as a form of ‘escapism’.
He told Metro: ‘Acting is an escapism for me. I feel free and understood when playing characters when, most of the time, I felt misunderstood as Bradley.
‘I am so happy that I can show autistic people that they aren’t alone and that they aren’t invisible – they are beautiful and magical.’
The openly homosexual and autistic actor wants to ‘fly the flag’ for his respective communities in the mainstream reality TV show, a source told The Sun.
They added: ‘He was diagnosed with autism when he was nine and is passionate about being an advocate for his community.
‘He’s keen to show the world that being neurodiverse isn’t something that holds you back, it’s a superpower.’
In 2023, the Netflix star also officially became a published author, releasing his own novel titled A Different Kind Of Superpower.
The book, which he co-wrote with James A Lyons, tells the actor’s heart-warming personal story about being ‘gifted’ his autism diagnosis at the age of nine.
Bradley and James aimed to reframe neurodivergence as a superpower through the lens of the children’s book.
‘Everyone is different, so I really wanted to expand on my story so that as many people as possible could find themselves in some part of the character journey,’ Bradley told Vogue in 2023.
‘I actually wrote it originally as a play, which I hope one day we can actually stage.’
The actor, who has amassed a staggering 323,000 following on Instagram, sometimes gives fans a peek behind the curtain into his personal life.
In February, he went all the way down to Downing Street to raise awareness on loneliness among young people.
Bradley is best known for portraying James McEwan in the hit international Netflix show, Heartstopper
The actor has also appeared in numerous plays such as Footloose and Goodnight Mister Tom
An insider said ahead of the show kicking off: ‘He’s keen to show the world that being neurodiverse isn’t something that holds you back, it’s a superpower’
Posting a snap of himself on the steps of Number 10, he wrote: ‘I was kindly invited to 10 Downing Street to discuss loneliness in the youth.
‘I spoke about my own experiences being a queer autistic person and loneliness I have felt. I also met some incredible people x.’
Certain famous faces from Big Brother 2023 popped up in his comment section, with Henry Southan quipping: ‘You’ve got my vote x’
Ex-Big Brother housemate Kerry Riches also chimed in: ‘I didn’t think I could love you anymore than I do already well done darling xx.’