Tommy Mallet (b. 1992) is a reality TV personality and company entrepreneur who rose to prominence after appearing on TOWIE. He spoke about having ADHD in an exclusive interview with MailOnline on August 26, 2023.
MailOnline (2023)
He said: ‘For me ADHD is a super power, it just needs to be understood properly. If you can understand it and work with it, it can be the best tool you’ll ever get in your life as I can out perform most people in most things.
‘When I was undiagnosed, I couldn’t read and write, I wasn’t able to express myself properly and now I can express myself really really well. I can do meetings with billionaires or sit down with a kid at school who’s in a unit.
‘I live a very uncomfortable life because I’m constantly chasing after the next thing and I don’t know the feeling of what being content is.
‘The money side is one part of my life but I also want to be a dad and be present as a partner. I’ve really got that balance in the first time in my life.
‘When you’re sitting there, thinking and trying to be the best all the time, it’s very hard to do that but then sit at home and get up late. I have to get up in the morning, I have to train to be half stable.
‘Those who are struggling with ADHD, if you can tap into it like I have and give yourself a routine, it could be so good for you.’
The reality TV star, who left school with no GCSEs after struggling with dyslexia, worked as a carpenter before becoming a reality TV star on TOWIE.
In 2015, Tommy then channelled his passion for trainers into his own footwear line and the business clocked £11.8 million in sales in 2020, with Mallet London shoes and apparel stocked in over 150 stores around the world.
The businessman father-of-one also detailed the mental ‘torture’ he went through during his time on TOWIE, prior to his diagnosis.
‘I’ve got this thing where I’m impulsive and where it affected me the most is being so worried about people selling stories or me being involved in something at the wrong time. Now I’m at the stage at my life where I’ve got success the worry has gone.
‘I had so much torture in my head of being thrown off the show or doing something wrong.
‘I did miss out on a lot with having ADHD on TOWIE because I didn’t trust myself in a lot of situations so it did make my journey a bit tougher.
Last year, Tommy unveiled his ADHD diagnosis on his ITVBe series Georgia and Tommy: Baby Steps.
He got emotional as he and fiancée Georgia recalled his troublesome school years living with undiagnosed ADHD.