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Home / Entertainment

The Chase's Anne Hegerty reveals how Asperger's syndrome affects daily life

By Molly Rose Pike
Daily Telegraph UK·
24 Sep, 2018 09:57 PM3 mins to read

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Newstalk ZB's Jack Tame talks to The Chase's Anne Hegerty.

Anne Hegerty has revealed how a diagnosis of Asperger's has affected her life.

Speaking on Loose Women, The Chase star, 60, said she doesn't let anyone into her home or like to go on holiday as she prefers things to be quiet.

Anne, who is also know as The Governess, was diagnosed with the form of Autism in 2007, two years after she watched a TV programme about autism and realised she had all of the symptoms.

She explained that Asperger's makes her unorganised, which has given her a "cluttered" house that she won't let anyone visit.

Anne revealed that people don't believe she has autism as she doesn't show any obvious conditions of it.

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The professional quizzer admitted that one of her symptoms is being badly organised and so her house has amassed a lot of clutter.

Anne said: "People always say to me 'Where do you keep your autism?' and I always says 'It's behind my front door and you're not coming in.'"

She also doesn't go on holiday because she prefers her home comforts and knowing her surroundings.

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Anne continued: "I just need everything to go quiet, for people to stop bothering me and not thinking about when I'm going to get packed.

"I like to have my own kitchen so I can cook and a washing machine so I can do washing. The things you can't get in a hotel."

Anne previously told how the condition had led to her misreading signals from potential love interests - but also believed it has helped her quiz knowledge.

She said on a previous episode of Loose Women: "I was failing to pick up signals from people. I would think, 'I really like this guy but he doesn't seem to be interested'.

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"It was literally years later that I would think about it and think, 'actually that was him indicating his interest'. And sort of went 'duh'."

Her candid discussion about Asperger's won praise from viewers, who said it was not an issue addressed enough by the media.

Anne spoke last year about how she waited two years before receiving her Asperger's diagnosis.

She also revealed how the syndrome costed her a job in proof-reading as her inability to multi-task led to her under-performing.

The job loss left her on benefits and led to two bailiffs arrived within 10 minutes of each other on New Year's Day 2008.

Anne later applied for The Chase with the help of a social worker. She has appeared on the show, which is presented by Bradley Walsh, since 2010.

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