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Loose Women star Denise Welch says she "completely underestimated" a condition she was diagnosed with in recent years. The presenter has been very open about her battle with severe postnatal depression over the years - but discovered in 2022 that she also has ADHD. As stated by the NHS , ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is a condition where the brain works differently. Symptoms can include a mix of having a hard time paying attention, being hyperactive and being impulsive. Denise discovered she had ADHD after being offered an assessment through Loose Women, following her co-star Nadia Sawalha’s own diagnosis and suspicions. Reflecting on her discovery, the 67-year-old shared: "To me, depression had always been my illness. I'd never considered that anything else was there. "And I thought, well if it's just that I interrupt a lot, sometimes girls that's because you're boring me, you know, I'm not going to take tablets because I interrupt a lot, or maybe I sort of go off on a tangent, thinking that's maybe what it was, so I did the whole thing [assessment]. "And needless to say, I was diagnosed ADHD. And it's only now on my second attempt at medication, which came after a breakdown last year, [my] first in five years, that I've realised how I had completely underestimated the impact of ADHD on me running parallel with my depression." Discussing how she may have been able understand her diagnosis more if she had known sooner, Denise went on to say: "And if I had shown signs before I had Matthew, if maybe there was more money spent on women's health, they would find a huge link between ADHD and postnatal depression, severe postnatal depression." Denise suffered with depression following the birth of her first child, The 1975 frontman Matty Healy. The illness, which she refers to as "the unwelcome visitor" led her to drink and drugs to try to escape it. "My cocaine dependency was not until my late thirties," she told Elizabeth Day on her How To Fail podcast. She went on to say she was initially "vehemently against" drugs in her twenties and "had no desire to have anything more than a drink on a Friday [or] Saturday night with my friends". "That was me, but my desperation to lift this immovable depression led me to what will do it? That will," Denise added. The actress, who has now been clean for over a decade, added: "When I've been depressed subsequently in the last four years and I have taken my ADHD tablet, it has the same effect, but not the I'm going to drink and smoke effect." If you think you may be experiencing depression or ADHD, it’s important to speak with your GP for guidance and support. Help and advice is also available via the NHS website. Loose Women airs weekdays from 12.30pm on ITV and ITVX
