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Loose Women panellist Denise Welch said she "completely underestimated" a condition she was diagnosed with recently. The host has been candid about her struggle with depression over the years, but in 2022, she discovered she also has ADHD. According to the NHS, ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is a condition that affects how the brain functions. Symptoms can include difficulties with concentration, hyperactivity and impulsivity. Denise found out 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 diagnosis, the 67-year-old revealed: "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." Insisting that an earlier diagnosis might have helped her grasp her condition better, Denise continued: "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 battled depression after welcoming her first child, The 1975 lead singer Matty Healy. The condition, which she calls "the unwelcome visitor", drove her towards alcohol and substances as a means of escape. "My cocaine dependency was not until my late thirties," she revealed to Elizabeth Day on her How To Fail podcast. She explained that in her twenties she was initially "vehemently against" drugs 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 revealed. The mother-of-two, who has maintained her sobriety for more than ten years, noted: "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." Should you believe you might be struggling with depression or ADHD, it's crucial to consult your GP for guidance and support. Additional help and advice can be found through the NHS website. Loose Women airs weekdays from 12.30pm on ITV and ITVX
