I'm A Celeb: Anne Hegerty & Rita Simons Share A Heart-To-Heart About Autism & OCD

19 November 2018, 21:52

The Chase's Anne Hegerty opens up about living with autism in the jungle with Eastenders star Rita Simons, who reveals she herself has been diagnosed with OCD in the 'I'm A Celeb' jungle.

As I'm A Celebrity kicked off, we saw Anne Hegerty AKA The Chase's Governess enter the jungle and tell her campmates she was overwhelmed with the new surroundings, and tonight we see her and Rita Simons have a heart-to-heart about living with autism and OCD.

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Feeling more positive than their first evening in the 'basic' camp conditions, Anne reveals: "I’ve started to thinking I think I can sort of see my way ahead", explaining how the new environment had initially overwhelmed her:

"It’s also an autistic thing when you’re trying to work out what to do. I have to line up the mirror neurones up in my head and go this, this, this … It doesn’t have to be the same all the time but I actually have to work it out beforehand".

She continues onto explain she struggles to pick up on social cues and confessed: "If you saw my home you’d know there was something very wrong".

"You’re a hoarder?" asked Rita. 

"Absolutely and messy.  An OCD person would not like my house.  It’s just sort of I just get overwhelmed by all the things there are to do".

Rita then shares her own experience living with OCD, revealing: "You know that I’m fully diagnosed OCD… I’m much better now".

“I don’t do any of the rituals any more.  I used to be a real light switcher, tap checker, I’d spend hours doing it.  It’s almost the complete opposite of you because yours is all logical and mine is all illogical”.

Revealing she wasn't diagnosed with Autism until she was 45, Anne tells the Bush Telegraph how her campmates have made her feel comfortable:

"I really appreciate how nice and sympathetic they’ve been to me and how supportive they are and it was nice that they said I actually pick up on social cues because I’m never quite sure that I actually do".

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