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Bradley Riches Inspired By Netflix Star To Talk About Autism

4 April 2024, 18:06 | Updated: 5 April 2024, 16:53

Bradley Riches has spoken out the need for autistic representation in the media. Picture: Getty

By Abbie Reynolds

Heartstopper actor and Celebrity Big Brother 2024 contestant Bradley Riches shared with us the Netflix star who inspired him to use his platform to raise awareness for people on the autism spectrum.

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If you've had the pleasure of watching Netflix's Heartstopper, or the joy of tuning into ITV's Celebrity Big Brother then you will be familiar with 22-year-old actor Bradley Riches.

And if some how you haven't heard of him, the young actor found his fame in the hit LGBTQ+ Netflix series and since being in the public eye he has been open about being diagnosed with autism at age nine. Bradley headed into the Big Brother house as a proud advocate for the neurodiverse community, hoping to change the stigma around autism.

Bonding with the likes of David Potts, the actor loved his time in the house as much as viewers loved seeing him in there but now that he is back in the real world he is stretching his legs and lacing up his running shoes for the London Landmarks Half Marathon on Sunday 7th April, which he is running to raise money for National Autistic Society.

Before his jolly around the capital city we asked Bradley about why he feels so motivated to keep pushing the conversation around autism, he told us: "I think the more we speak about being autistic [or] neurodivergent, the more people could maybe see similarities or understand you in ways that they didn't realise."

But as well as being super open about why he thinks this conversation matters, he revealed one special person who inspired him to use the platform he has to make a difference. Here's what he said...

Bradley Riches said he "grateful" to have been diagnosed with autism at a young age. Picture: Getty

Bradley opened up about how when he was younger he struggled to communicate with words, and even struggled with a stammer before he got into acting. However he credits being able to over come these hurdles to his early diagnosis.

"I was so grateful to be diagnosed as autistic at nine years old, because people go through their whole life without knowing that they're autistic," the actor explained. "And they just think that they're different, they don't understand themselves."

Late diagnosis of autism is more common than you can imagine and especially in women, which made it so interesting to hear about one of Bradley's biggest inspirations.

He said: “When I was getting older and more accepting of who I was I looked up autistic creators and I found an actress who's in a Netflix series as well called Chloe Hayden, who inspires me.

"She definitely inspired me to use my platform to speak about being autistic as well. She's an amazing person, she does so many cool posts and just breaks stigma.”

Bradley said that actress Chloe Hayden is "an amazing person". Picture: Getty

Chloe is a 26-year-old Australian actress who stars in Netflix's Heartbreak High, she has been an active advocate for disabled rights and has become an absolute icon down under when it comes to breaking the stigma around autism.

"Being female, and being neurodivergent is so lacked of representation. And her speaking for female neurodivergence is very inspiring and it made me want to speak about my experience as well, " Bradley explained.

He spoke about how there can never be too much representation, saying: "You can put an autistic character in a book and that's another new representation, like representation shouldn't stop because it just constantly makes people feel seen - which everyone wants, to feel seen in different things they watch and read."

In November 2023 the actor released his own book ‘“A” Different Kind Of Superpower’ and he told us that he's currently in talks with a publisher about writing a few sequels for it.

Bradley said that the CBB housemate became like family and the show was "such a positive experience". Picture: ITV

Bradley explained how he used his superpower of autism to his advantage in the Big Brother house, just a day before the final he faced a brutal back door eviction which had many viewers distraught.

However, despite the intense environment, Bradley took the news really well. He said "being autistic, I'm super observant", so the wool wasn't pulled over his eyes when he was greeted by host AJ rather than a family member or friend.

Lots of people thought the eviction was too harsh for someone who is neurodivergent but ITV were super supportive of Bradley and offered to make adjustments for him whilst he was in the house if he needed them. They even permitted him, and only him, to have a clock if he wanted, to help him feel like he still had routine.

Bradley is running the London Landmarks Half Marathon to raise money for National Autistic Society. Picture: Instagram @brad_riches

Netflix were also very understanding of Bradley's needs and he hopes that more companies will start to follow suit. He asked: "If a big organisation like Netflix can ask their employee if they can do anything to make their environment, or workspace more enjoyable and more comfortable, then why can't everyone do it?"

The stars journey for better representation and awareness about autism is far from over but he hopes by putting himself out there he can be a voice for others like him. Bradley Riches is fundraising for National Autistic Society (justgiving.com)

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