Revelations about ADHD within the Thomas family have unfolded further as Scarlett Thomas, daughter of actor Ryan Thomas, disclosed her own diagnosis. This news comes following her father’s recent public statements on dealing with the same condition.
Known for her role on Waterloo Road, Scarlett shared that she was diagnosed with ADHD three years ago. She opened up about her experiences and how the diagnosis has influenced her daily life.
Posting a candid video on Snapchat, Scarlett, who is also the daughter of Coronation Street’s Tina O’Brien, took a light-hearted approach, urging her family to relax regarding her ADHD assessment.
Her father, Ryan Thomas, alongside his brothers Scott and Adam, have frequently discussed ADHD on their podcast. In an insightful episode in March, Ryan shared his journey towards understanding his own diagnosis.
Scarlett expressed her perspective by saying, “The word ADHD, get it away and put it in the bin because what do you mean somebody talks too much?”
‘What do you mean somebody has a different personality and suddenly they’ve got a disorder.
Ryan Thomas’s daughter Scarlett, 17, has revealed she’s been diagnosed with ADHD , after her dad shared his own struggles with the condition
The Waterloo Road star shared she first received her diagnosis three years ago, and in a video shared how she feels she’s treated differently since learning she had the condition
‘I don’t get it. I was diagnosed in year nine, it’s literally just a personality. It doesn’t make sense to me. Anyway, that’s my take on that. I say it because my uncle Adam talks about it and he needs to chill out.’
Scarlett’s uncle Adam has previously shared his own experience with ADHD, and earlier this year Ryan revealed he’d received a diagnosis.
Speaking on their podcast, At Home With The Thomas Bro’s podcast, Ryan said: ‘ADHD for me has been a big problem and I’ve not actually spoke about it yet because If I’m really honest, I was quite embarrassed that I had ADHD.
‘It felt like I had a condition and growing up, as kids, ADHD, I don’t feel like, was ever a thing – or it was loosely spoke about.’
Ryan said he decided to get assessed for ADHD after being told by his fiancée Lucy Mecklenburgh that he would repeatedly lose things and struggled to concentrate.
The Coronation Street star continued: ‘After the whole process, I was diagnosed – and I’m on medication.
‘And friends that are on the medication have said it changes your life instantly, like the limitless pill. And it’s been quite disheartening for me because I’m on the medication every day.
‘I’ve been on it for the last three, four weeks. And I still feel overwhelmed. I still misplace things.
In a video posted on her Snapchat , Scarlett declared that her family needed to ‘chill out’ about her ADHD diagnosis
‘There is a part of me that I recognise – that I can sit down and write something on a piece of paper, which is very rare that that happens with me.’
Ryan defended his controversial decision to allow Scarlett to skip sitting her GCSEs.
Scarlett, who appeared in BBC’s Waterloo Road in 2023, recently shared that she did not sit the nationwide exams in a video posted to her TikTok page.
The caption read: ‘I’m watching everyone get there [sic] GCSE results today wondering if I could’ve had good results but I will forever wonder.’
The clip caused much controversy online, with many complaining that it was ‘unacceptable’ for the teenager to forgo sitting the exams and attending school to focus on her budding acting career.
Under one post which criticised the decision from her parents, her father weighed in in the comment section and hit back.
He defiantly said: ‘Is it even anyone’s business or concern though?’
The actress has made it clear that she wants to follow in the footsteps of her famous parents into the entertainment industry, and has a passion for acting and singing.
While most young people in England do sit GCSEs, they are not a legal requirement under the Education Act of 1996. Students can choose to pursue other qualifications or leave formal education at 16.
Her first TV appearance was in Waterloo Road – one of several shows that made her uncle Adam a household name.
In January, Ryan also shared his pride upon learning that Scarlett had signed a record deal, calling it ‘one of the best days of his life’.