Former England back-row James Haskell has opened up on living with ADHD. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder can cause an individual to become restless and have trouble concentrating, and Haskell revealed how the disorder impacted him throughout his rugby career and life off the pitch.
Haskell joined renowned broadcaster Simon Mundie on the new podcast; Rethinking ADHD by Qbtech, which is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and ACAST. Haskell shared how he was diagnosed with ADHD as a child, and the impact that had on him and his rugby career. He was prescribed medication, but eventually had to stop taking it ahead of playing an age group match for England as a teenager.
James Haskell of Wasps waves farewell to Wasps fans the Aviva Premiership Match between Wasps and Northampton Saints at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry, England on Apr 29 2018 - PHOTO: Phil Mingo/PPAUK
"I was probably quite private about it at the time. They (England) didn't announce anything, and then everyone thought that I've been taking steroids, and that's why I've been pulled out of the game."
"Two weeks later, I then played against Wales in my first game and captained the side."
The 77-capped England international has established quite the celebrity status after hanging up the boots. One of rugby's most animated characters, Haskell has since gone on to be a successful author, DJ and television personality.
Haskell featured on the 2019 instalment of 'I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here', and is one third of the popular 'The Good, the Bad and the Rugby' Podcast. Haskell also joined MMA company Bellator in 2019, as a fighter in the heavyweight division. However, the Covid Pandemic delayed Haskell's cage-fighting debut, with spinal surgery in 2021 cancelling his career, after an exhaustive list of rugby injuries mounted up on the former back-row.
"I would struggle to do nothing… you sit, you're bored, you put your phone up on a scroll, it's scroll on a cycle, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Daily Mail apps, Sky News, BBC, emails and WhatsApp, on a loop. That's all I do. Round and round.”
"My ADHD has been my superpower. My mind works at a million miles an hour… I’ve written seven books, released eight tracks, DJ, run a podcast, write speeches. It also gets me in trouble, I speak before I think.”
Haskell made his international debut in the final match of the 2007 Six Nations against Wales, and became a mainstay in the squad after missing out on the 2007 Rugby World Cup. The former Wasps man represented England until 2019, and was an uncapped tourist of the 2017 British & Irish Lions Tour to New Zealand. Haskell has been coached by a litany of England's Head Coaches, and admitted that some were better at understanding mental health than others.
"I think with some of the England coaches, because they weren't au fait with mental health or they weren't open minded or weren't prepared, they saw it as me having a deficiency, as an issue, instead of going 'okay, this is the only player in the squad has asked us to help.'”
James Haskell (England) and Anthony Watson (England) at the end of the game. England v Ireland. RBS 6 Nations. Twickenham Stadium. Twickenham. London. UK. 27/02/2016. ~ MANDATORY CREDIT Garry Bowden/SIPPA/PPAUK - NO UNAUTHORISED USE - +447837 394578
Since retiring from rugby, and developing his career away from the pitch, the former Highlanders and Stade Francais man has admittedly lost a significant amount of interest in the sport.
"It (rugby) was a vehicle for success for me. Now I look back at it, because I don't give a sh*t about it now, being brutally honest with you. I don't really watch it because, again, the selfish mentality is, I could spend an hour watching a DJ set of a DJ I want to learn from, or I could watch rugby. I've squeezed all the juice out of rugby. Rugby is just a hobby, I'd rather watch an action movie than watch rugby."
James Haskell of Wasps during the Aviva Premiership Rugby 2017-2018 Season Launch at Twickenham Stadium on August 24, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Davies/PPAUK for Aviva)
A statement from The Rethinking ADHD Podcast read; "It is clear that ADHD is being talked about much more than ever before. We are hearing about increasing numbers of celebrities and high-profile people being diagnosed, often well into adulthood. But, despite the increase in awareness of ADHD, there are still significant misconceptions about what it is, as well as the impact it can have on people’s lives, and what you can do about it.
"This series aims to explore what ADHD is and how it presents itself, challenge some myths and misconceptions about it and outline ways to manage the condition and thrive with it. We are speaking to athletes, entrepreneurs, authors, doctors and a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist to hear about their experiences and find out how they learned to flourish while living with ADHD."
Haskell closed off this window to his private life by giving a message to those who think they could have ADHD. The Wasps centurion added: "Be very wary of a Google diagnosis, go find somebody that is reputable. Go and see them get a proper diagnosis and get a plan in place, and understand that this is just the start."
About Qbtech - A Statement from the Podcast Producers.
"Founded in 2002, Qbtech is a Swedish company that delivers FDA approve objective ADHD testing and has operations in 13 countries and has offices in Stockholm, Houston, and London. Qbtech is an award-winning company recognized for its innovation, most recently winning the 2022 HSJ Partnership Award for the ‘Best Mental Health Partnership with the NHS."
"Founded in 2002, Qbtech is a Swedish company that delivers FDA approve objective ADHD testing and has operations in 13 countries and has offices in Stockholm, Houston, and London. Qbtech is an award-winning company recognized for its innovation, most recently winning the 2022 HSJ Partnership Award for the ‘Best Mental Health Partnership with the NHS."
