Zoe Ball has revealed that she is one of the 2.6 million people in the UK diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in a new interview with The Mirror.
She says the condition leaves her unable to complete what others may consider to be ‘simple tasks’ saying, “my brain is just all over the goddamn shop.”
ADHD can cause problems with concentration which Zoe admitted caused her problems during the filming of Taskmaster, which often has challenges that require concentration and analytical thinking. Zoe said that one challenge, which involved mathematical timings, caused her to “melt down”.
According to Psych Central, ADHD meltdowns are sudden outbursts of frustration and anger that seem to come out of nowhere.
While the condition can be difficult to manage, Zoe did say that she makes herself laugh, explaining, “if I’m in a small space and I’ve got loads of tasks to do, I can cover so many miles.
“My family, they laugh because they’ll find things of mine in certain places and they’re like, ‘If you follow this, you’ll see what Mum was trying to achieve.’”
Woody Cook also has ADHD
Zoe’s son Woody with ex-partner Norman Cook (also known as Fatboy Slim) also has ADHD, and had previously spoken about how he struggled to cope with the condition as well as dyslexia.
“I was at this point where I wanted to do well, but I couldn’t do it, I couldn’t write an essay. I had my dad yelling at me to work harder, and I was trying. I would literally cry that I can’t do it. My life was falling apart and the only time I was happy was when I was drunk,” he said.
However, he revealed to the Evening Standard last year that he found his feet in DJing saying, “Throughout my life, I’ve struggled with having dyslexia and ADHD and always struggled to work really hard on things but when the wind caught [with DJing] I got obsessed and really began working hard.”
Like father, like son.
Zoe has also assured that despite her condition and the difficulties she often faces, she is becoming increasingly carefree as she gets older saying of 2024, “I’m just hoping for more daft adventures. I’m in my 50s and I’m like, I’m having so much fun.”
We love that for her.