Johnny Vegas reveals ADHD diagnosis

Comedian and Benidorm actor Johnny Vegas said if the ‘chaos helped me be a better stand-up’ then that is a good thing.

Johnny Vegas said he has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

The 52-year-old comedian and Benidorm actor added it was “always kicked around as a notion” prior to him finding out before Christmas that he has the condition, which affects people’s behaviour.

ADHD can include symptoms such as being restless and having trouble concentrating.

Vegas told BBC Breakfast on Wednesday that his diagnosis “answers a lot of questions about behavioural issues” he has had.

The comedian added: “It’s that sense of disorganisation and doing basic tasks… everybody has an element of it, it’s how strong your filter is, I think.

“When you don’t have a filter at all… very simple things become very time consuming.

“(I’ll say) ‘I’ll shift that cup’, and then you have 10 other ideas and you haven’t shifted that cup, and then three weeks later that cup’s still there and somebody’s like, ‘Why haven’t you shifted that’, and it’s become this monumental task and it’s built up.

“It’s just, I suppose, how your brain organises itself, and I always knew I was disorganised… but (it) helps make sense of a lot of things at school. I’m only just on the verge of learning about it.”

Vegas added that he has the same agent as Sue Perkins, who had “suggested” he get tested for ADHD as she had also been diagnosed with the condition.

Former Great British Bake Off presenter Perkins told her Twitter followers last week: “Once I had the diagnosis, suddenly everything made sense – to me and those who love me.”

Vegas added that if the “chaos helped me be a better stand-up” then it is good as it “made” him who he is.

He also said: “In some respects you can go back and look at it with regret, but I’ve had a bit of a charmed life, so it’s no regrets.

“I know now and it helps you make changes, I suppose, as you want to get more responsible later in life. I don’t see it as defining me.”

Other celebrities with ADHD include former Love Island contestant Dr Alex George, award-winning singer-songwriter Labrinth and impressionist Rory Bremner.

Vegas also spoke about his Channel 4 show following the development of his North Yorkshire campsite.

In Johnny Vegas: Carry On Glamping, he created a glamping site during which he and his assistant Bev Dixon overcame a series of setbacks.

Viewers saw the difficulties they faced as they attempted to open the campsite, which featured a collection of vintage vehicles restored for guests to stay in.

“We are not a business, it’s a passion,” he added. “We repurposed things (for the vehicles for camping), we rescued things… I made the tiles myself that went into (a bus called) Patricia.

“Patricia was a particular poignant journey for me because it was named after (my) mum and sadly (my) mum passed away during the process so she never got to see her.”

His glamping site, Field of Dreams, at Melbourne Hall near Derby, is available to book.