Billy Idol believes he may have ADHD

Billy Idol has pondered whether he started taking drugs because he has undiagnosed ADHD.

Billy Idol believes he may have become a drug addict due to undiagnosed ADHD.

The Rebel Yell singer – whose years of excess and struggles with addiction are documented in new documentary Billy Idol Should Be Dead – has spoken openly about his dependency on heroin and other illegal substances, and after his son William was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder as a child, Billy has pondered whether his offspring inherited the neurodevelopmental brain disorder from him.

He told The Times newspaper: “I think I might have an ADHD problem too.

“That could have been a reason I was, you know, taking drugs in the first place, maybe because they do help you to focus. And I could never focus on anything unless it really took my interest, like music.”

William was prescribed Ritalin to combat the symptoms of ADHD but Billy eventually asked him to stop taking the medication.

He said: “It’s just to control them, really.”

A few years ago, Billy discovered he had a secret son, Brant Broad, after his daughter Bonnie – who he has from his relationship with Linda Mathis – discovered her half-sibling through a DNA test, but he admitted he wasn’t particularly surprised.

He said: “Well, yeah, you know, you kind of knew it was possible there might be something like that happening.”

But the White Wedding singer doesn’t think any other secret children will emerge.

He said: “I think we’d know by now.”

Billy suffered a leg injury on his 70th birthday last November, and had to perform a concert that evening sitting in a chair and required weeks of physio afterwards.

But despite being unable to walk properly for a month, Billy wasn’t too upset because he sees every dya as a “bonus” after years of hard living.

He said: “I was watching TV with my legs on a chair. I got up a bit quickly and my right leg was completely dead, so I fell over really, really heavily.”

Told that was unlucky, he said: “Nah, not really. Everything’s a bonus when you should be dead.

“I mean it. I shouldn’t be here.

“The idea that I would get to live this life is incredible. Like I said, I should be dead, but someone up there likes me.”