Millie Mackintosh says she suspects one of her daughters has ADHD as she marks one year since diagnosis

Millie Mackintosh said she believes one of her two daughters may have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as she marked one year since her own diagnosis.

The 35-year-old former Made In Chelsea star, who shares daughters Sienna, four, and Aurelia, three, with husband Hugo Taylor, wrote on Instagram that her diagnosis had made "so many things make sense" and helped her be "kinder" to herself. She did not specify which child she suspected might have ADHD but described "massive meltdowns" and the difficulty of managing triggers while parenting.

Mackintosh said she sometimes uses ADHD medication selectively on days she needs to focus for work, taking it "once or twice a week". She said the medication helps her get a lot done but can leave her feeling more tired the following day and may increase anxiety. She added that she was "really grateful" to have access to medication because she knows not everyone does.

In her post Mackintosh described a long history of mental health struggles. She said she has lived with anxiety and depression for most of her life and was diagnosed with dyspraxia at school, which led to extra time in exams but did not prompt an ADHD diagnosis at the time. Mackintosh suggested that earlier thinking that ADHD largely affected boys contributed to women being diagnosed later in life.

She described practical steps that have helped her manage symptoms, including prioritising good quality sleep, setting strong boundaries, avoiding alcohol, exercising daily, and following a whole-food, protein-focused low-carb or ketogenic diet since January. Mackintosh said strength training, which she discovered in her 20s, improved her relationship with exercise after feeling uncoordinated as a teenager.

Mackintosh has been open about her recovery from problematic drinking. She said she has been alcohol-free for nearly three years and has written about her experiences in a book titled Bad Drunk. She also discussed returning to medication in the past year to manage anxiety that once caused frequent panic attacks, saying the decision has been transformative.

On Caggie Dunlop's Saturn Returns Podcast, Mackintosh spoke about struggling with her sexuality as a teen and said that drinking sometimes led her to kiss women she would not have approached when sober. She said that therapy has helped her unpack intimacy issues stemming from bullying at an all-girls school and that her husband responded supportively when she discussed her past.

ADHD is a behavioural condition characterised by inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. According to public health guidance cited by Mackintosh, symptoms commonly appear in childhood and often become more noticeable as a child grows. The NHS notes that ADHD is associated with other conditions such as anxiety and depression and that there is no cure; treatment typically combines medication and therapy to relieve symptoms and improve day-to-day functioning.

Publicly available prevalence figures indicate ADHD affects a notable proportion of children and adults, and underdiagnosis in girls has been acknowledged by clinicians as a factor in later adult diagnoses. Experts advise that routine and structured environments can reduce symptom-related disruption for children and adults alike, while access to assessment and treatment varies.

Mackintosh said she was prompted to seek testing by motivational speaker Mel Robbins and that she continues to learn about how ADHD affects her life. She emphasised the role of routine in parenting, saying term time feels calmer and school holidays can be "trickier" without the structure children get during the school week. She also reiterated the challenges of managing her own emotional responses during her child's outbursts and the importance of ongoing support and understanding.

Her post adds to ongoing public discussion about adult diagnosis of neurodevelopmental conditions, how they interact with mental health, and how parents balance their own needs with supporting children who may have similar diagnoses.