CAMILLA Thurlow has held back tears as she opened up on experiencing a “minefield of self-criticism and guilt” amid her daughter Nora’s autism diagnosis.
The 36-year-old shares daughters Nell, four, Nora, two, and son Brodie, one, with husband Jamie Jewitt, 35, and has now opened up on “knowing something was different” with her middle child.
On a recent episode of her podcast, BICKER with Camilla and Jamie, the Love Island legend and mum-of-three dived deeply into the “struggles of modern SEND parents” – a parent or carer of a child who has Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
Camilla said: “I’m trying and trying and trying…I knew from really early on with Nora that something was different.
“Now she’s the smiliest girl ever, but she didn’t smile at the expected time, sit at the expected time, never really rolled, she wouldn’t do tummy time, she didn’t crawl that entire first year.
“I stopped talking about it with people because even when it is really well meaning, people would say things like, ‘I just read to my son every single day and he’s actually now got a really great vocabulary for a two-year-old.’
Read more celebrity stories
“It starts to make you feel like, ‘oh, they think I’m not doing all those things with my daughter’ – not reading to her, playing with her everyday, doing all the tummy time I can, doing all the sensory activities.”
Opening up on the life-changing struggle, she continued: “You are so inclined to be really self-critical – maybe I’m doing it wrong, maybe I’ve forgotten, maybe I did it more with Nell.
“It’s really hard when you isolate yourself to know how to kind of get out of that.
“Maybe that mum who’s putting in just as much time and effort and isn’t getting that same outcome, is trying just as hard and is putting in just as much.”
Discussing the differences with the speed of growth of her two daughters, Camilla held back tears and acknowledged: “Teaching Nell was such a joy.
“Seeing these things that I was showing her, her do back, was just such a rewarding experience.
“Teaching Nora was absolutely fraught with anxiety and worry and self-criticism.
“I just shut down in that year.”
What is autism?
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is an incurable, lifelong developmental condition that affects how people perceive the world and interact with others.
It affects around one in 100 people in the UK and is three to four times more common in boys than in girls.
Many people with ASD find it hard to understand other people’s feelings and emotions, and they may have difficulty holding conversations.
When they are young, their language development may take longer and they can struggle to use facial expressions, using gestures to communicate instead.
They may also find it hard to connect with other people and to hold eye contact with unfamiliar individuals.
Many children with ASD like to follow a routine, and changes to this can cause distress.
High functioning autism is an informal term some people use to describe those on the autism spectrum disorder.
Sharing support to other struggling parents, Camilla shared: “The time and effort that you are putting in being the best parent possible, the parent that your child needs, is amazing.
“There is no one better for the job.”
Parents react
The podcast clip, which Jamie shared on his official TikTok account, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as parents eagerly flocked to the comments to share messages of love and support for Camilla.
One person said: “Ohh Camilla you are the kindest, most genuine soul. This broke my heart. You are enough, you do enough and you love more than enough.”
This will help so many parents, this has given me an extra boost this morning
TikTok user
Another added: “Honestly the most realistic and honest podcast.”
A third commented: “So honest and raw! Thank you for sharing your experience!”
Meanwhile, someone else chimed in: “Amazing words. Really wish I heard and had a podcast and clips like this at the start of our journey with my son Leo.
“This will help so many parents, this has given me an extra boost this morning.”
Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme – Sun Club
