In a candid and revealing interview, beloved Australian comedian and television host Julia Morris has shared the profound impact of receiving an ADHD diagnosis in her mid-50s. The star, a fixture on screens for over three decades, describes the discovery as a pivotal moment that finally explained the 'kooky way' her mind works.
A Career Built on Unbridled Energy
Morris first burst onto the scene as a teenager on New Faces and became a household name through the 1990s on shows like Full Frontal. Her career skyrocketed with a move to London, where she won the Herald Angel Award at the Edinburgh Comedy Festival in 2001 and became a regular on BBC programs.
Returning to Australia, she triumphed in Celebrity Apprentice in 2011, raising significant funds for breast cancer research, and starred in the hit drama House Husbands. Since 2015, she has been the charismatic co-host of Network 10's reality hit I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, a role she now shares with Robert Irwin.
The Late Diagnosis That Changed Everything
Morris was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in July 2024 at the age of 56. The diagnosis came not from her own seeking, but through hyper-focused research she undertook while her two daughters were being assessed for ADHD and autism.
"The medication has been life-changing," Morris states frankly. "It's taken me from a person who would lie in bed and make plans about what I was going to do and then not do it, to a person who doesn't have time to lie in bed, because I've got to go and do it."
She recalls how her own childhood school reports, written by nuns, now read like a checklist for ADHD in women. Morris highlights a critical gap in understanding: "In women with ADHD, the hyperactivity isn't jumping off things, like the boys, the hyperactivity is in your mind."
She is acutely aware of her privilege in being able to afford the diagnosis, which can cost around two thousand dollars, and hopes her story resonates with other women her age who have been 'left raw-dogging and swinging in the wind', mistakenly believing they were simply lazy.
New Jungle Dynamics with Robert Irwin
Ahead of the new season of I'm A Celebrity, premiering January 18, Morris is full of praise for her co-host Robert Irwin, who joined the show in 2023. "He's just extraordinary," she says, noting that his experience on Dancing With The Stars in the US has unlocked a new level of authenticity.
She reflects on the unique tone of the show, which she believes is set apart because "it's not a fight fest." Instead, it focuses on community and pulling together. Last season's 'men versus women' theme initially concerned her, but she acknowledges it sparked important conversations about domestic labour in households across the country.
Speaking Out and Standing Up
True to her outspoken nature, Morris also addressed a recent viral social media post where she advocated for women-only sections on planes. The idea came after a disturbing incident where a man made inappropriate comments to her teenage daughter and a friend during a flight.
"I went full Karen on him," she admits, unapologetically. The experience solidified her view on the need for more personal space and safety during air travel.
Now happily single since ending her 16-year marriage in 2022, Morris declares she has never felt better. "The queen needs her chamber," she jokes, enjoying life in her 'girls-only palace' with her daughters and her 'lifestyle choice partner', a cavoodle named Ken.
For Julia Morris, understanding her ADHD has been the final piece of a lifelong puzzle, granting her control, clarity, and the confidence to continue being unashamedly herself.
