Heston Blumenthal has called for a change in attitudes to neurodiversity in the workplace after being diagnosed as bipolar. The esteemed chef and restaurateur, 57, said he was diagnosed with the mental health condition in recent months, after previously receiving a positive assessment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in 2017. He said he believes his neurodivergence is closely linked to his business success and hopes this can be the case for more employers and their staff.
The celebrity chef runs restaurants including the three Michelin-star Fat Duck, two Michelin-star Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Michelin-starred Hind’s Head, and the Perfectionists’ Cafe. Heston – who is married to entrepreneur Melanie Ceysson, 36 – believes more needs to be done to welcome neurodivergent individuals in the workplace and said they are ‘woefully underrepresented’ as a result. ‘These are individuals who may have exceptional skills and unparalleled abilities yet because of traditional ways of working, we are missing out on the brilliance they can bring to UK business,’ he said.
‘I hope that being open about my own mental health will raise awareness of the issue and I want to campaign to highlight the contribution neurodiversity can make to the workplace.’ Heston commissioned research which found more than one in 10 people (11%) surveyed have been officially diagnosed as neurodivergent. Around 21% of these were neither in full nor part-time paid employment.
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