Actor Simon Pegg reveals ADHD diagnosis: 'It's just who I am' — SkimNews
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- Simon Pegg, 56, revealed he has been diagnosed with ADHD, saying it "confirmed a lot of stuff that I'd been wrestling with" on the I'm ADHD! No You're Not podcast on Thursday
- Pegg said he had previously put his symptoms down to "just character fault" and only pursued a formal diagnosis after reversing into a post while on holiday in Greece, then researching whether people with ADHD get into more car accidents
- Pegg also disclosed clinical depression and struggles controlling his drinking, which he initially thought had "caused" his diagnosis, noting he had depression "since 18" and felt "different in a way I might not be able to put my finger on"
- Pegg's wife has been supportive and is "dealing with it as if I'd been diagnosed ages ago", he said, adding: "It's just who I am, and it's just things that I do"
- The NHS estimates about 2.5 million people in England have ADHD, with waiting lists for assessments at record levels and some even closing due to "huge demand"
- University College London research found nearly a 20-fold increase in UK adults diagnosed with ADHD between 2000 and 2018, while a June Lancet Regional Health Europe study suggested 1.2% of English adults have a diagnosis versus international prevalence estimates of 3–5%, indicating potential underdiagnosis
Why it matters: Pegg joins Johnny Vegas, Ant McPartlin, Sue Perkins, and Richard Bacon in publicizing an adult ADHD diagnosis, a cohort disclosure wave running parallel to a near 20-fold rise in UK adult diagnoses between 2000 and 2018. His revelation lands while NHS assessment waiting lists sit at record levels—some even closed—with roughly 2.5 million people estimated to have ADHD in England, only 1.2% formally diagnosed.
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