Fun, vibrant and full of energy, nothing can slow down Big Brother‘s Tilly.
Labelled the “Challenge Beast” by her fellow housemates, she’s won more challenges than anyone in Big Brother history.
“I just had a mantra for myself: ‘Pain is temporary,'” Tilly, 21, tells TV WEEK.
When she’s not slaying challenges, Tilly loves to chat and relax with Ari and the other housemates.
(Credit: Channel Seven)Defeating muscleman Mitch and former world champion beach sprinter Katie with ease, it’s hard to believe the Sydney communications student doesn’t work out.
“I was actually very surprised by myself,” Tilly admits. “I hate exercise and sport.”
Tilly thinks her mental strength, and her ADHD, helped her keep her eye on the prize and block the pain.
“I think my ADHD helped, because my head was all over the place during the challenges,” she says.
But although Tilly is using her diagnosis to her advantage now, her ADHD has contributed to many challenges in the past.
“In school, I found it so hard to concentrate,” she explains.
“I did really well in my Higher School Certificate and at uni, but people don’t realise the trouble ADHD can cause in daily life. To do an assignment takes every bone in my body – it’s so hard to sit still.”
According to ADHD Australia, boys are diagnosed with ADHD at a much higher rate, while girls are consistently underdiagnosed, or diagnosed much later on.
With ADHD in women presenting differently, many girls go undiagnosed until late teens or adulthood, such as comedian Celeste Barber, who was diagnosed at 16.
“ADHD in women is under-represented,” Tilly says. “I like that it’s being shown and how much you can do with it.”
“This is why I’m here – for the people who have judged me my whole life. And, hopefully, proving a point for a wider community of people with ADHD, or even the community of young girls that people misread.”
