Coronation Street‘s star Shelley King has opened up about her autism diagnosis after she discovered she had the disorder aged 67.
The actress, who is now 68, gave fans health update during an appearance on Good Morning Britain on Monday as she discussed why she took the step to get diagnosed.
The soap star, who has played Yasmeen Nazir on the soap since 2014, also revealed the challenges of working on the ITV soap as she admitted she finds change very difficult.
Speaking about her diagnosis with hosts Ed Balls and Susanna Reid, she explained it was her partner Trilby who pushed her to seek a diagnosis.
She explained: ‘Trilby and I have been together for 27 years and she had been trying to persuade me to get a diagnosis for years just to help me understand things that have happened in my life.
Coronation Street star Shelley King has revealed the challenges of working on the soap after being diagnosed with autism aged 67
The soap star, who has played Yasmeen Nazir on the soap since 2014, admitted she finds change very difficult and struggled to feel at home with her fellow cast members when she first got the job
‘I am always late for instance and that is because I have to finish things off before I go to the next task.’
Discussing how the condition impacts her job Shelley said: ‘In Coronation Street, things change all the time, if somebody goes ill you suddenly are doing their scenes. Also, on my first day, ten years ago, I went into studio, I hadn’t met any of the cast before.
‘I hadn’t actually met them, I knew Jimi Mistry [Kal Nazir] socially but I didn’t actually know people so I find that very difficult, meeting new people, so what happens in Coronation Street took me a good few months to actually get to know the people I’m working with to therefore feel comfortable.
‘I’m not very used to change, change is not a thing that actually helps me.’
Shelley also admitted her diagnosis didn’t come as a surprise to her friends who realised it help make sense of her actions.
‘Well I don’t suppose it came as a surprise to a lot of my friends. They said “Really?! Oh ok this is why you are late all the time, you can’t remember things, you fly off the handle occasionally and then apologies profusely.” All these that are emotional regulation things.’
As Susanna asked whether having the diagnosis has helped, Shelley added: ‘Yes it has explained a lot of things about my past, about my educational difficulties sometimes because the ways of education changed and from being a very interested student I plummeted.’
Shelley revealed last year that she was being assessed for autism at the age of 67. She said at the time: ‘I don’t think 67 is too old, it’s never too late. It’s been a great outpouring and it’s making me less scared of my life and that I’m not doing things right.’
Appearing on Monday’s Good Morning Britain she explained: ‘I’m not very used to change, change is not a thing that actually helps me’
Shelley also explained it was her partner Trilby who pushed her to seek a diagnosis: ‘Trilby and I have been together for 27 years and she had been trying to persuade me to get a diagnosis for years just to help me understand things that have happened in my life’ (pictured in 2019)
Shelley revealed last year that she was being assessed for autism at the age of 67. She said at the time: ‘I don’t think 67 is too old, it’s never too late. It’s been a great outpouring and it’s making me less scared of my life and that I’m not doing things right’
Speaking to Kaye Adams on her podcast How To Be 60 at the time, just hours after her initial autism assessment, Shelley said: ‘This morning has been quite a big deal for me.
‘I’ve always had a temper, I’m very pedantic and I like to plan things. Simple things that people take for granted have not been easy for me.’
Shelley and Trilby have been together for 27 years after two previous failed relationships with women.
She previously told Metro that growing up without lesbian representation in the media was damaging and she ‘tried to have relationships’ with men earlier in her life.
She said: ‘I tried to have relationships with straight men but I had no emotional connection and it only ended up hurting them.’
The actor said: ‘After we [her and Trilby] got together, I ‘came out’ to my parents aged 42. They were not in the least surprised.’
Shelley continued: ‘I want to tell other people considering coming out to never be afraid of who you are. Whatever the circumstance, the people who really love you will support you.’
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