03 April 2023 , 10:33
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Skins star Megan Prescott has revealed she's been diagnosed with autism.
The actress, 31, played Katie Hinch in the BAFTA-winning teen drama on Channel 4 show from 2009 - 2010.
Megan, who also has ADHD, was told she was autistic back in December 2021, but admitted she was "nervous to say anything".
Admitting she's been 'exhausted, anxious and depressed' pretending to be 'neurotypical', she said: "There are still members of my family that I haven't told about my diagnosis because I know the response will be pretty upsetting.
'When I was diagnosed with ADHD a few years ago, telling people didn't feel as nerve wracking as telling everyone I'm autistic feels and I think because despite ADHD in women still being misunderstood, there is at least starting to be a decent amount of resources available for people to learn more about it. The same can't be said for autism in women.
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Skins star Megan Prescott has revealed she's been diagnosed with autism (Instagram/ @megartron)
She told fans she'd been "nervous to say anything" about her diagnosis (Instagram/ @megartron)The National Autistic Society suggests women are more likely to "mask" or be mis-diagnosed as some female traits differ from the traditional symptoms and can be missed.
This can lead to women getting diagnosed in later in life.
Megan continued: "When I've told people I am autistic, the response I've got most often is something along the lines of ''Well everyone's on the spectrum a bit'' – which, although it might be well-intentioned, is a pretty s**t response to someone telling you they're autistic."
The actress with her twin sister in Skins in 2009 (E4)Following her diagnosis, the actress said so many things had 'begun to make sense', including understanding why she felt like she 'never fit in'.
She explained: "I spent all my energy trying to pretend to be neurotypical, which would result in being f*****g exhausted, anxious and depressed."
Insisting she would be talking about the her diagnosis "a lot", Megan concluded: "I do believe that autism COULD be a 'gift' IF the world we lived in was made accessible to neurodiverse people."
The actress-turned-bodybuilder, whose twin Kathryn played Emily in Skins, was unrecognisable in January last year after joining OnlyFans during the coronavirus lockdowns.
The actress said things had 'begun to make sense' following her diagnosis (Instagram/ @megartron)
Megan thinks there should be more conversations about women with autism (Instagram/ @megartron)She admitted she was urged by friends to create a page on the racy content site after they told her she'd be popular with followers due to her stint in Skins.
The star told The Sun the gig had been going well for her, adding she only posts what she's comfortable with - and only when she wants to.
She said in 2022: "If it wasn’t for OnlyFans I wouldn’t have been able to survive the last two years without working seven days a week in menial jobs. I started my page in April 2020 when the pandemic hit as I didn’t get furloughed for a while.
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"I had zero money and was told by a friend who has worked as a stripper for years that people were guaranteed to subscribe because they had watched me in Skins."