Holly Willoughby's hidden struggle before diagnosis after 'writing herself off'
Presenter Holly Willoughby has opened up about feeling "different" when she was younger in a new documentary that she has described as "important". She's suggested that she ended up "writing herself off" due to a challenging experience.
Holly, 44, has previously spoken about being diagnosed with dyslexia shortly before her GCSEs. She once shared whilst hosting This Morning that she felt "shameful" about struggling with spelling for years, but also revealed on the ITV show that she's since become proud to have dyslexia.
She's now further discussed her experience with the learning difficulty at school. Holly opened up in the documentary Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution, which aired on Channel 4 on Monday, with her among the participants in the project.
The one-off special saw chef Jamie Oliver, who has spoken about his own experience with dyslexia, explore the challenges faced by pupils who have dyslexia. It also shows him campaigning for more support for those affected by dyslexia.
Like other participants, including Jamie Laing, Holly makes brief appearances in video messages shown during the documentary. She's seen talking about her experience, including sharing that she felt "different" when she was at school.
Opening up about her difficulty with spelling, she said in her first appearance: "I definitely was terrible at spelling." She continued by sharing with viewers: "I knew that because in spelling tests I'd always get really poor results."
Holly later said that she was "always" expecting feedback on her homework to include "silly mistakes" being brought to her attention. She said in the documentary: "I always knew that when I'd get my homework back, there would be red pen all over it where there would be 'silly mistakes'."
She said: "I felt like I was working really, really hard with not getting much results. So I felt different." She later added: "The school system is made for a certain type of learning and it's so hard when you don't learn like that."
Holly suggested that it had an impact on her even after she had left school. She said: "When you then write yourself off at school as being 'non-academic,' that does shape your future somewhat."
Following the broadcast of Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution, Holly responded to the documentary and a post made about it by Jamie. He had reflected on the reaction to the project in a post on Instagram this morning.
He wrote: "I've been completely blown away by the response to Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution. The stories so many of you have shared- about your own journeys, struggles, and strengths - have been powerful, emotional, and deeply moving.
"If you've got something to say about dyslexia or neurodiversity -whether it's your own experience, a frustration, or a big idea -please share it with [Secretary of State for Education] @bridgetphillipsonmp with the hashtag #ComeOnBridget and let her know that change is needed! If you missed it last night on @channel4 hit the link in my bio to catch up #ComeOnBridget."
Holly later shared the post on her Instagram Story and wrote in her caption: "Well done [Jamie] such an important documentary! Just the beginning of this conversation."
Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution is available through Channel 4.
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