Lily Allen: does singer have children, is her husband David Harbour - ADHD diagnosis explained

Lily Allen has opened up about being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as an adult.

The 37-year-old singer and actress who will make her TV debut in Dreamland on Sky Atlantic this April, revealed that she was not surprised by the diagnosis adding that “it sorts of runs in my family”.

Allen who, lives with her husband Stranger Things star David Harbour and her two daughters, Ethel and Marnie in New York, cited being based in the USA for getting her diagnosis, explaining that they “take these things slightly more seriously than they do in England”.

ADHD is a condition that can affect people’s behaviour causing symptoms such as restlessness, trouble concentrating and acting on impulse. So what has Lily Allen said about her diagnosis? Here’s everything you need to know.

What has Lily Allen said about her ADHD diagnosis?

In an interview with The Times, the “Alright Still” singer opened up about her adult ADHD diagnosis. She said: “I’ve had to completely switch off social media because as soon as I look at it, it can be hours of my day gone.”

She continued: “It sort of runs in my family. And it’s only because I’m here in America where they take these things slightly more seriously than they do in England. I went to see someone and they said, ‘Have you ever thought about this?’ And I said, ‘Well, yes I have’.”

Allen also opened up about her flourishing acting career, citing her success on being “sober for nearly four years.”

She said: “I think it’s a combination of age and being able to take responsibility and genuinely being fascinated and grateful for these opportunities, which I know so many people have been working towards their entire adult lives.”

The Dreamland actress previously opened up about her addiction to Adderall in her 2018 memoir “My Thoughts Exactly”, explaining that she used it “as a way of getting or staying thin”.

How long have David Harbour and Lily Allen been together?

Allen and Stranger Things actor David Harbour met on the celebrity dating app Raya and went public with their relationship in October 2019. They tied the knot in a Las Vegas ceremony complete with an Elvis impersonator in September 2020.

Speaking about Harbour on the Jonathan Ross Show, she revealed she hadn’t known who he was, nor was she a fan of Stranger Things.

According to the Huffington Post, Allen said: “It was the first time I’d been on this dating app. I was scrolling through and landed on David’s profile and pressed accept.”

She continued: “I didn’t know who he was. I thought he was just like a sexy policeman from a reality TV Show. He was wearing a policeman’s uniform. It was a still from Stranger Things. I’d never seen Stranger Things.”

Do they have children?

Allen shares two daughters with her ex-husband Sam Cooper, Marnie Rose who is 10 years-old and Ethel who is 11-years-old. Harbour is a step-father to Allen’s daughters, in 2021 opened up in an interview with Stephen Boss, guest host of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, explaining they had shown him “the meaning of life”.

Harbour said: “They’re British and I’m this cheese-fed American man and they really do like the fact they have an extra jungle gym. They crawl all over me; they make it their job to try to hurt me as much as they can. My lower back is destroyed.”

He continued: “I have never experienced this kind of—I was always a single guy, who has been a bachelor for a long time, I’ve been an artist, I wanted to travel the world and do my work. I never really wanted to have kids. And I get it now, why everybody has kids. Because it’s kind of like the meaning of life, you pass the torch to these other individuals.”

What is ADHD?

The NHS defines Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as a condition that can affect people’s behaviour causing symptoms such as restlessness, trouble concentrating and acting on impulse. It states that most cases are picked up and diagnosed before a child turns 12-years-old but it is sometimes diagnosed later on in life.

According to ADHD UK, 2.6 million people are diagnosed with the condition in the UK, with 2 million people living with ADHD who are not diagnosed.