CELEBSWITH HIDDEN

GUESS WHO:

DISABILITIESU N I V E R S I T Y O F S O U T H E R N Q U E E N S L A N D

DID YOU KNOW THAT 80% OF DISABILITIES ARE INVISIBLE

TO THE NAKED EYE?That pretty much guarantees every single day you’re

interacting with people who are living with a disability you can’t detect. You’re also seeing these people on your

TV, hearing them on the radio, reading about them in magazines and watching them on the big screen.

HERE ARE THE CLUES TO SOME FAMOUS MEN AND WOMAN WHO LIVE WITH HIDDEN DISABILITIES.

GENDER: MALE

AGE: 63

MARRIED: YES

CHILDREN: 1 BOY, 2 GIRLS

OCCUPATION: BUSINESS EXECUTIVE

This English Business Executive was born in London and his first business venture (at age 16) was a magazine called The Student. In 1972 he started his business brand Virgin which began as a chain of record stores. In 2012 he announced plans to build an orbital space launch system, labelled LauncherOne.

He has also spoken out about living with Dyslexia and having quite a lot of problems in school. This has not stopped him from being a successful businessmen despite admitting that…

“for years I haven’t been able to work out the difference between gross and net.”

GENDER: FEMALE

AGE: 48

MARRIED: YES

CHILDREN: 1 BOY, 1 GIRL

OCCUPATION: ACTRESS

This famous actress was born in Cleveland, Ohio and started her acting career on the big screen at age 25 in the movie Spike Lee’s Jungle Fever. Her most recent film was X-Men: Days of Future Past.

She first admitted to living with Type 2 Diabetes after collapsing on the set of Living Dolls.

“Diabetes turned out to be a gift. It gave me strength and toughness because I had to face reality, no matter how uncomfortable or painful it was.”

GENDER: MALE

AGE: 72

MARRIED: YES

CHILDREN: 7 GIRLS, 2 BOYS

OCCUPATION: ATHLETE

This professional boxer was born in Louisville, Kentucky. He is widely regarded for the skills he displayed in the ring as well as the values he represented outside of it. He is generally considered amongst the greatest heavyweights in the sport’s history.

He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease at age 42. Now 72 years of age, his ability to speak has deteriorated significantly.

“Parkinson’s is my toughest fight.”

GENDER: FEMALE

AGE: 86 (deceased)

MARRIED: YES

CHILDREN: 1 GIRL

OCCUPATION: AUTHOR

This English author was born in England in 1890. Her first book, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, was published in 1920. She is best known for the murder mystery And Then There Were None which was published in 1939.

She has spoken about her experience of living with Dysgraphia, saying…

“Writing and spelling were always terribly difficult for me. My letters were without originality. I was... an extraordinarily bad speller and have remained so until this day.”

GENDER: MALE

AGE: 39

MARRIED: YES

CHILDREN: 3 BOYS, 1 GIRL

OCCUPATION: ATHLETE

This famous soccer star was born in London and signed on to his first professional contract at the age of 16. His hugely successful sporting career has seen him (and his pop star turned fashion designer wife) rise to international fame.

He has also admitted to living with severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). His behaviours centre on organisation and tidiness. He describes his condition as…

“Everything has to be in a straight line or in pairs. If I’m putting cans of drink in the fridge and one won’t line up or there’s too many to pair up I’ll put the odd one in another cupboard somewhere or throw it out.”

GENDER: FEMALE

AGE: 29

MARRIED: NO

CHILDREN: 1 GIRL

OCCUPATION: ACTRESS

Born in South Africa in 1985, and returning to Perth at age 9 with her parents, this actress first rose to fame for her role in the hit TV series Packed to the Rafters and has since starred in both Magic City and Love Child.

She recently revealed to the Australian Women’s Weekly that she lives with Bipolar Disorder and chooses to manage her condition without medication.

“Bipolar episodes have been a part of my life from about 12 years old. I’ve had cognitive therapy training so I choose not to be medicated. Suffice to say, it’s become a manageable part of my life. I acknowledge it, I know when an episode is coming on and I work hard to manage it.”

CRICOS: QLD00244B NSW02225M TEQSA: PRV12081 9.1.J 09.2014

social.usq.edu.au

How did you go? Here are the answers to our

Guess Who: Celebs with hidden disabilities

RICHARD BRANSON

AGATHA CHRISTIE

HALLE BERRY

DAVID BECKHAM

MUHAMMAD ALI

JESSICA MARAIS