By the time I got to secondary school, I had become a pro at ‘masking’ – a technique many autistic people use to try to fit into society. I remember at 13, my friends told me that a boy I really fancied thought I was really attractive, but would never date me because I was so ‘weird’. From then on, I made an effort to be more ‘normal’. I stopped dressing in the quirky way I was known for and became much quieter to avoid saying anything odd.

It was only when I started being more independent that the fact that I had autism became obvious. I’d always had my sisters and parents to rely on at home and, by this point, I’d had a long-term boyfriend for around five years too. Even at university, I lived with other girls who would check in on me. As a result, my issues only really became apparent when I started modelling at the age of 21 and had to travel alone for shoots.

Eye contact and hand gestures are very considered for me – they don’t come naturally. My voice is also very monotone and deadpan, so I still make an effort to change that and try to mimic the way that neurotypical people speak. It’s exhausting.

Executive dysfunction is common in people with autism, and for me, that translates to always getting lost. I stopped driving because I struggled to follow road signs and directions and could end up driving in circles for hours. Navigating shoots was stressful as I was usually left to find my own way around a building – even if I’d visited before I wouldn’t remember where to go.

“Everyone thought I was just ‘quirky’ – it took years for me to finally get an autism diagnosis”