Alex Reid has revealed he's been diagnosed with autism after a lifetime of bullying.
Alex Reid has revealed he's been diagnosed with autism after experiencing a lifetime of bullying.
The former MMA fighter's diagnosis in his 40s has made him completely rethink his whole life after years of relentless bullying and he shares his Asperger's Syndrome - telling fans things make a lot more sense to him now.
Alex, 45, who is due to become a father with his fiancée Nikki Manashe, after a two-year IVF struggle. opened up about his diagnosis.
"It's a relief in many ways but it's a bit unnerving because it's coming to terms with new things, but it also explains so much," he told The Mirror.
Alex went on to explain how he only discovered he had the condition after a chance encounter with a family who has an autistic child after the child accidentally tripped him up.
He explained, "I was so friendly with the children and the parents started to notice so many traits in me. They saw that in interviews I can sometimes be so together and then I can completely fall apart. They said they thought I was autistic.
"I've always thought of autism being like Rain Man and thought that wasn't me, but understanding it more now it makes so much sense," Alex added.
Alex revealed the results came through when he took a test, confirming it once and for all. He said, "My friends, the Boyce family, suggested I had an autism test and I came up significantly autistic."
He's since admitted the diagnosis has helped him understand his actions - particularly how he hides beneath a 'mask' to cope when he feels bullied.
He said, "I've achieved so much and I felt like I could cope with anything. I've been so horrifically bullied throughout my whole life. I was the kid in school who asked the questions no one else would and I'd be laughed at, I was the kid that the teachers would say had to try harder and they didn't understand it.
"Even in the army I've been bullied and I've been bullied for being different. This has kind of made sense of why."
But the diagnosis has also been an emotional one for Alex, as he struggles to come to terms with it all. He added, "Although I felt like I could cope with anything and I'm big and tough and strong, actually deep down there's a little boy crying.
"I've put on all of these masks to cope and protect myself and created all these different personalities."
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