Holly Willoughby got a diagnosis just before her GCSEs that changed her life forever - and still impacts her to this day. The This Morning presenter, who was privately educated at Burgess Hill Girls School, felt 'constantly embarrassed' reading aloud at school before finding support from an inspirational teacher.
Holly was diagnosed with dyslexia after realising she couldn’t read anything written on a white page. She explained: "I got really distracted by the white runs of spaces in between."
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Recalling her own experience, Holly said; "My favourite teacher who was incredible was called Mrs Williamson. She was an English teacher and I did not get my dyslexia diagnosis until just before my GCSEs, which is late.
"So for a long time at school I hated reading out loud because I could not read very well, I would get mixed up and I was constantly embarrassed."
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"She always took me aside. She spent a lot of time with me and really took the time. Even in break times. She would never make me feel stupid."
It was Holly's teacher who came up with the idea of having everything printed on coloured paper, which is something that still helps her today while working on TV.
Holly explained: "Which is brilliant in telly because scripts are always printed on coloured paper – never had a white script in my life.
"I was quite concerned when I first started using autocue… But as long as I've read it all once, and I know what's coming, it's fine."
While she’s never divulged her exact grades, she did well enough to study psychology at university.
But she abandoned those plans to pursue a TV career and a gig hosting ITV Saturday morning kids' show Ministry of Mayhem.
Holly has previously said her learning disorder broke her confidence but has since taken the "power" back as she heads into her 40s.
The mum-of-three told Red magazine: "I’ve struggled with dyslexia since I was young and it used to hold me back.
"It still happens now – most of the mistakes I make on This Morning are because of it, but it doesn’t do what it did to me back then because I don’t let it have power. I now know that it’s all about how you package it in your head."
In March this year, Holly spoke with Sir Richard Branson and the founder of the charity Made by Dyslexia, Kate Griggs, on This Morning to discuss their aims for the future.
Holly began the segment by saying: "It is estimated that over six million people in the UK have dyslexia. Defined as a learning difficulty, many people refer to it as a hidden disability."
When co-host Phillip Schofield asked how she felt about that, Holly replied: "Well, A, it shouldn't be a disability, I don't see it as a disability at all.
"I see it as a real feather in my cap, I love being dyslexic, I'm very proud of being dyslexic. I think it makes me who I am.
"I think half of the things I'm actually quite good at in life are because I'm dyslexic."
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