Jools Oliver on late ADHD and autism diagnosis: why women are missed

Jools Oliver, the author and wife of chef Jamie Oliver, has spoken publicly about being diagnosed with ADHD and autism in adulthood, describing years of not knowing as draining. Speaking on the Lessons From Our Mothers podcast hosted by Cressida Bonas, in an interview reported on October 26, 2026, the 51-year-old said she received her ADHD diagnosis about four years ago and that living without an explanation had "ruined" 45 years of her life while she thought something else was wrong. She said her own autism assessment followed after some of her children were diagnosed as autistic and she recognised similar traits in herself. Her comments led to a rise in searches for her name in the United Kingdom on October 28.

Jools Oliver's account mirrors what researchers have described for years: many girls and women with ADHD are missed in childhood and only diagnosed in adulthood, often after a child's diagnosis or a crisis prompts them to look for answers. Symptoms in girls are often quieter and more inward, such as daydreaming, disorganisation and anxiety, rather than the disruptive behaviour that teachers are more likely to notice. As a result, many women spend decades believing they are simply bad at coping.

That delay has real costs. A Cardiff University study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry found that girls diagnosed later had more mental health problems in adolescence, more absences from secondary school and more hospital appointments than girls diagnosed in early childhood. The researchers also found that the later-diagnosed girls had shown difficulties in early childhood, before anyone recognised ADHD.

Her comment about menopause also touches on an active area of research. A Monash University survey of 600 women already diagnosed with ADHD, published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, found that 97 per cent said their symptoms got worse during menopause. Because the women reported their own symptoms, the researchers' findings point to a pattern rather than prove a cause, but they suggest that hormonal change can make long-managed symptoms harder to handle in midlife.

For Indian families, the story has a familiar ring. Many women who juggle careers, households and the care of children and elders put their own struggles down to stress or personality. A diagnosis, where it is warranted, can explain patterns of forgetfulness, overwhelm and burnout, and open the door to treatment and support. Assessment should be done by a qualified psychiatrist or clinical psychologist, not through online quizzes.

Short-term: High-profile accounts like this one tend to prompt more adults, especially women, to ask whether ADHD or autism could explain their own difficulties, and to seek assessment.

Long-term: Wider awareness can push schools and doctors to look for quieter signs in girls earlier, which research suggests can reduce the problems that build up when the condition goes unrecognised.

Who is affected: Women who suspect they may have ADHD or autism, mothers of children who have recently been diagnosed, women going through perimenopause and menopause, and the doctors and teachers who are often the first to notice signs.

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