Former Emmerdale star Charley Webb has publicly revealed she is undergoing assessment for autism and ADHD, sharing a deeply personal health update that she describes as making "a lot of sense" for her life.
Opening Up About Neurodiversity
The actress, best known for playing Debbie Dingle on the popular ITV soap from 2002 to 2021, discussed her diagnosis journey on the Girls Next Door podcast. The 37-year-old mother of three explained she's currently in the initial stages of assessment.
"I've sort of just been diagnosed with that. I don't want to confirm it because I'm only at the initial stages," Webb shared. "More autism - autistic/ADHD. I'm like 'what?'. I've just started the process [with doctors]."
Understanding Personal Triggers and Traits
Webb elaborated on how potential neurodivergence has manifested in her life, particularly mentioning how people sometimes perceive her as "really cold" - something she now understands might relate to autistic traits. She also identified noise sensitivity as a significant trigger.
"Noise for me - the trigger of noise. I go from nought to 60 in like one second," she revealed. "All those loud noises, if I go somewhere really busy, I find it so overwhelming. So I will be interested to look further into that."
The actress emphasized the importance of increased awareness around neurodiversity, noting that "years and years ago, nobody talked about it" whereas now these conversations are happening everywhere.
Life Beyond Emmerdale
Webb's health revelation comes during a period of significant personal change. Earlier this year, she and ex-partner Matthew Wolfenden - her former Emmerdale co-star who played David Metcalfe - put their £900,000 Harrogate family home on the market.
The couple, who share three children - Buster, 14, Bowie, nine, and Ace, five - announced their separation in November 2023 after being together since 2007 and marrying in a secret 2018 ceremony.
Webb stressed the value of self-understanding during her podcast appearance, stating: "It's so important for people to understand themselves and I think as we're getting older it's becoming more of a thing now."
Her openness about neurodiversity assessment adds to growing public conversations about mental health and neurological differences, particularly among women who are often diagnosed later in life.
