Call the Midwife star opens up on shock diagnosis they kept secret for four years
One of the standout stars of BBC drama Call The Midwife reveals the diagnosis they kept hidden for years and the ‘lightbulb moment’ that changed everything
Helen George opens up for first time on ADHD diagnosis
Call the Midwife actress Helen George has revealed for the very first time that she has ADHD. Opening up for the first time in a new podcast episode, the actress revealed she had been living with the condition for the last few years but admitted emotionally, ‘I’ve spent my whole life covering it up.’
Helen, 41, was speaking candidly to Dr Mine Conkbayir, who specialises in neuroscience and her husband, comedian Paul Whitehouse to. kick off the new, fifth season of the podcast all about ADHD: I’m ADHD! No You’re Not.
Revealing that Helen actually received her diagnosis a few years ago but had chosen to keep it secret until now, Mine asked her why this felt like this was the right moment to share her news.
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Helen with comedian Paul Whitehouse and his wife Dr Mine Conkbayir
Helen opened up on the podcast about considering medication(Image: Jed Cullen/Dave Benett/Getty Ima)
Helen revealed, “Well, the diagnosis came after my second child was born, so it was about three and a half years ago. I think the idea of parenting challenges all of the very facets that ADHD has. And I think it wasn’t really a thing that I realised until I sat down with a male friend who had ADHD.”
Revealing the life-changing moment where she realised she might have ADHD she said, “He was describing females and women who have children. And them being diagnosed later in life. And he was telling me all this, and I suddenly went. Oh shit, just like me. It’s like the light bulb moment that I needed.
“That was the thing that prompted me. And then I went and got a diagnosis from that. But before that, I hadn’t ever considered that I had ADHD. I just thought I’m an actress, and everyone’s batshit crazy.
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“There’s a reason why a lot of actors have ADHD, I think because it’s (ADHD) got the skills that you need.”
Asked by Dr Mine how she feels about ADHD now, the star reveals she is still in the process of working it out. ” I think I’m still finding them because it feels relatively new and I think I’ve realised what it was and I’m now only really living with the consequences of finding it out.”
She explained that she is now considering medication to help her. “I think for so long I just sat with the idea that I had ADHD and now I’m actually progressively looking at doing things like taking the medication. I don’t think this world provides the necessary support that we need. So therefore, whilst it doesn’t, I would like to take medication to see if that aids me.
“And if the world drastically changed overnight, then I would reconsider, I think. But as long as I’ve gotta do a tax return and I’ve gotta pay for things and you know, deal with the children, I think we all have to do those things. Do you know what I mean?”
Helen George swiftly became a fan favourite on Call the Midwife (Image: BBC / Nealstreat Productions / Ray Burmiston)
Helen’s boyfriend is real estate consultant Dan Innes(Image: Helen George / Instagram)
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Helen added, “It’s learning about yourself and learning about what’s gonna work for you and what’s not, and effectively, then what’s gonna work for your friends and your family.
“I’ve got to work out how you can function best so that you can mother best so that their lives can be the best that they can be. So it’s ripple of that without being self-indulgent. I think.”
Helen was married to fellow actor Oliver Boot until their divorce in 2015. In April 2016, she began dating her Call the Midwife co-star Jack Ashton and the pair went on to have two daughters together – Wren Ivy, now 8, and Lark, now 4, before they split in 2023.
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The actress has been in a relationship with boyfriend Dan Innes, a 51-year-old real estate consultant, since 2025, after reportedly met on the dating app Raya.
Famed for playing midwife Trixie in Call the Midwife, Helen as well as other TV roles hasappeared on Strictly in 2015 and on the West End stage in January 2024in The King and I, playing Anna Leonowens, at the Dominion Theatre London.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental condition characterized by persistent patterns of inattention, hyperactivity, and/or impulsivity that interfere with daily functioning and development.
Previous guests on the hit podcast Include Robbie Williams, Stephen Fry, Sara Pascoe, Jimmy Carr, Katie Price, Lee Mack, Sam Thompson and many more.
