Helen Flanagan has touched on the realities of being a mum with ADHD in a frank admission where she admits feeling overstimulated at times and considers one of her children to be neurodivergent.
The former Coronation Street actress shares three children, Matilda, Charlie and Delilah, with her ex-partner, footballer Scott Sinclair.
Speaking on the realities of her everyday life, she says that she likes to think that she is a ‘fun mum.’
‘I’m only strict about keeping them safe,’ she revealed while describing herself as being ‘very affectionate and devoted to them.’
Motherhood is of course not always plain sailing, and Helen admits: ‘As a mum I also get overstimulated, especially where there are too many sounds at once. ‘
‘I swear a lot when I’m frustrated, which I know isn’t great. I’m not the most organised, but one way or another I always make sure everything is perfect for the kids.’
She goes on to add: ‘I also think at least one of my three children is neurodivergent.
Helen readily admits that she has long suffered with her mental health and had ‘bad OCD intrusive thoughts postnatal.’
As she struggles to regulate her emotions, she can also find herself becoming emotional ‘at inappropriate places’ and subsequently feeling embarrassed.
She recalls one incident where her daughter had a competition, and she wore sunglasses the entire time because something else was upsetting her.
Helen also touched on how people with ADHD can be more prone to addictions, and that while she doesn’t have a problem with alcohol addiction, she developed ‘unhealthy habits’ after separating from the father of her children.
‘I got unhealthy habits when I separated from the father of my kids to deal with the stress [of] the kids on my own and when I felt sad, to numb it.’
She goes on to add that she has a much healthier relationship with alcohol now.
Her words come as she previously opened up about her OCD and her fears that she would hurt her newborn.
