Kate and William will appear together at a charity gala next month.
Prince George will be christened in the chapel where his grandmother Princess Diana’s body lay before her funeral.
Kensington Palace confirmed details about the ceremony in a statement overnight.
The christening service will take place at 3pm next Wednesday, October 23, in The Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace.
It will go for 45 minutes and be conducted by The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby.
No further details about godparents, the guest list or the order of service are expected to be given out until the day.
It has been reported that many senior royals, including Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, aren’t invited to the christening because William and Kate want it to be an “intimate, family affair”.
This is reflected in the choice of the smaller Chapel Royal over the chapel at Buckingham Palace where most royal christenings are conducted.
William and Kate have special links to the Chapel Royal. It was where the body of William’s mother Diana lay before her funeral in 1997 so her family could pay their respects, and more recently where Kate was formally confirmed into the Church of England before her marriage to William in April 2011.
The last royal baby to be christened in the chapel was Princess Beatrice in December 1988.
Hot favourites to be chosen for the coveted role of godparents — of which there will be six — include Kate’s sister Pippa Middleton and brother James Middleton as well as William’s brother Prince Harry, best friend Thomas Van Straubenzee, former private secretary Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton and ex-nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke.
A replica gown will be worn by Prince George on his christening day on October 23.
Traditionally newborn Royals wear a custom-made Honiton lace and white satin gown which has been passed down from generation to generation.
However the current royal christening gown has been packed safely away and replaced after 30 newborn royals, including Her Majesty, Prince William and Harry, have all donned the historic garment.
See the original gown worn passed down through generations plus more royal christenings here.
Prince George will be christened on October 23 at 3pm.
The christening of Prince Edward-Albert of York (later King Edward VIII).
Future King and Queen, George, Duke of York and Elizabeth Duchess of York.
Queen Elizabeth II holding her son Prince Charles in 1948.
Royal Christening Princess Margaret in 1964.
Diana Princess of Wales holding her son Prince William.
Princess Beatrice’s Christening at the Chapel Royal in 1988.
Princess Eugenie’s christening at Sandringham Church with the Queen in 1990.
Prince William with his Godchild, KonstantineAlexios Of Greece.
Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel christen Princess Estelle.
Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary at their son’s christening.
Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark is christened in Copenhagen on June 24, 1968.
Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary at Princess Isabella’s christening.
Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary Christen their twins.
Spain’s Princess Letizia and Prince Felipe with their daughter Sofia.
If Miley Cyrus has reminded us of anything, it’s that famous young girls going wild draw more media attention than just about anything. But while she’s twerking overtime to make headlines right now, there’s no saying Miley won’t revert to something closer to her heavenly Hannah Montana image at some point. After all, there are plenty of bad girls who’ve learned to behave better. Here are the best of ‘em…
Bad Girls No More
If Miley Cyrus has reminded us of anything, it’s that famous young girls going wild draw more media attention than just about anything.
But while she’s twerking overtime to make headlines right now, there’s no saying Miley won’t revert to something closer to her heavenly Hannah Montana image at some point. After all, there are plenty of bad girls who’ve learned to behave better. Here are the best of ‘em…
Nicole Richie then
Nicole Richie was the ultimate bad girl of Hollywood.
The adopted daughter of Lionel Richie first appeared on our radar after starring in the reality show The Simple Life with fellow wild child Paris Hilton. When she was young, Lionel’s marriage failed and that led to young Nicole being over-indulged. The result was a young woman heavily involved in drugs and alcohol. She eventually went to prison on drink-driving charges – albeit for only 82 minutes
nicole richie now
Nicole fulfilled all the terms of her probation and has turned her life around since ending her friendship with socialite Paris Hilton and becoming a star in her own right.
The mother of two is now married to Good Charlotte’s Joel Madden, works as a fashion designer, is a published author, a television presenter and runs a children’s charity, The Richie Madden Children’s Foundation.
paris hiton then
Like her former friend, Nicole Richie, Paris lived a life of tabloid madness and self-indulgence. The Simple Life co-star and granddaughter of hotel-chain founder Conrad Hilton was known around the world for her hard-partying ways and also wound up spending time in prison on DUI charges.
The socialite hit an all-time low when she “starred” in a sex tape. Her attempts to parlay this into acting and singing superstardom were only slightly less embarrassing.
paris hilton now
While Paris hasn’t enjoyed the same post-bad girl success as Nicole, she’s still pulling in the bucks. Since The Simple Life finished she has created another reality show, launched perfume, clothing and sunglasses lines and she even designs apparel for dogs.
Paris continues to be paid a bucket load to attend events. It’s just that these days she stays clear of the headlines.
lindsay lohan then
The child-star turned alcoholic has been in and out of rehab, had disturbing public disputes with her parents, been in several car crashes, faced DUI charges, admitted drug use and spent time in jail.
Lindsay Lohan now
The Mean Girls star recently finished her sixth stint in rehab and is looking to open her own rehab facilities to help others going through the same hard times.
She’s filming a reality show for Oprah’s OWN network after earlier this year giving a revealing tell-all interview with the famous host in which she committed to sobriety. The star has stuck to her word since July – here’s hoping it onwards and upwards for her now!
kate moss then
This size zero model’s work hard and play harder philosophy led her down many tumultuous paths, including destructive and drug-fuelled relationships.
The lowest point during Kate’s wild days was in 2005 when an image of the model snorting what appeared to be cocaine ended up on the front page of the UK Daily Mirror. Her career took a nosedive as a long line of designers dropped Moss from their brands.
Kate Moss now
The headlines have been noticeably free of Kate’s antics since the supermodel ditched bad boy Pete Doherty for The Kills guitarist Jamie Hince. The couple married in 2011.
Since her final stint in rehab, Kate has stayed on the straight and narrow and seems settled into married life.
drew barrymore then
This actress became the poster girl for the high price child stars pay for their early fame and fortune. After starring in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial at the age of seven, Drew quickly spiralled into drugs and alcohol.
She smoked her first cigarette at nine, was drinking at 11, doing marijuana and cocaine in nightclubs at 13. A year later she’d tried to commit suicide and was in rehab.
Drew Barrymore now
Drew got clean, bounced back and became Hollywood’s darling again as the star of hits like Charlie’s Angels, The Wedding Singer and Ever After.
Through her company Flower Films, she’s also produced smashes like Music & Lyrics and He’s Just Not That Into You. The loveable and spontaneous star is now married to art consultant Will Kopelman, with whom she has a daughter, Olive.
Britney spears then
The Oops!..I Did It Again singer certainly lived up to the title of her first hit single. She was in and out of drug rehabilitation centres and has had a string of failed relationships, including annulling her marriage to a childhood friend only 55 hours after their Las Vegas wedding.
Britney’s crazy low came in 2007 when she shaved off her hair and shortly afterwards lost custody of her children Sean and Jayden to ex-husband Kevin Federline.
Britney spears now
Britney made her singing comeback with the release of her seventh album, Femme Fatale, and starred as a judge on American’s X Factor in 2012. Forbes named her the highest-paid female musician for that year, with earnings of $58million.
Britney is now working on her eighth album, Piece of Me, due for release on December 3, 2013.
angelina jolie then
Angelina Jolie never shied away from her bad girl image and made headlines from her early twenties for engaging in self-harm, wearing vials of her ex Billy Bob Thornton’s blood, taking illicit drugs and for admitting she was into BDSM.
Her relationships also caused controversy, in particular her unusually close relationship with her brother and her love affair on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith with Jennifer Aniston’s husband Brad Pitt.
Angelina Jolie now
Jolie and Pitt are now America’s Sweetheats, with three adopted children, Maddox, Zahara and Pax, and three they’ve had together, Shiloh, Knox and Vivienne.
As well as dedicating her life to her family, the 38-year-old actress has balanced acting and directing with much-vaunted humanitarian work. She has been an active ambassador for UNHCR since 2001 and travels the world for worthy causes.
Not many women would voluntarily have their nipples tattooed but for Cass Boyle, it was a life-changing procedure that marked the end of her breast cancer nightmare and the beginning of her second chance at life.
Cass Boyle was 34 years old and just weeks away from the birth of her first child when she felt something strange underneath her collarbone.
It wasn’t quite a lump, but it felt strange and to be safe, she decided to get it checked out.
It was breast cancer and five days later Cass was in surgery having a lumpectomy. It wasn’t successful and the following week Cass was back under the knife having a mastectomy.
“It was 10 days from finding the lump to losing my breast,” Cass says. “It was so sudden and brutal.”
Cass started chemotherapy six weeks later on January 11, 2011. Her partner gave birth to their first child on January 19.
After weeks of chemo and radiation therapy, Cass attempted to go back to her normal life. She lasted 18 months.
“For the first few months I was just so thankful to be alive but this time last year I realised I was a lot unhappier than I was willing to admit physically,” Cass says.
“I had no breasts and I had gone into early menopause. I was a 36-year-old in the body of a 60-year-old.
“I just got to this point where I thought, ‘Oh my god, I’m just so miserable’. Something had to change and I started looking for a plastic surgeon the next day.”
Cass found a surgeon she liked and booked in for a breast reconstruction, but not before she got one more piece of bad news.
“My surgeon said I was very likely to get another cancer in my other breast,” she says. “I couldn’t live with that risk and decided to have my other breast removed too.”
In April this year, Cass went into surgery to have her second mastectomy and a complete breast reconstruction.
The gruelling procedure took 11 hours and involved using skin and muscles from her stomach to create new breasts.
“When I woke up I was bandaged from ankle to neck and completely incapacitated, bent over like a banana because of the skin missing from my stomach. I’d never been in so much pain,” she says.
“For five days I wondered if I’d made a terrible mistake. I was in a very dark place and then I just decided I had to do something. I grabbed a walker and started hobbling.”
In July, Cass had her nipples reconstructed and a few weeks ago, finished the procedure by having her new nipples tattooed a natural colour.
“My new breasts have completely changed my life,” she says.
“They look so natural my surgeon says even medical students wouldn’t know they’re not real.
“They’ve completely transformed me. I work out five days a week, I’ve overhauled my diet. When I look at pictures of myself from a year ago I don’t even recognise the person looking back at me.”
Cass and her partner are expecting their second child, another daughter, in seven weeks and it was this impending new arrival that inspired Cass to take the final step and have her nipples tattooed.
“I had my nipples tattooed at the same point in this pregnancy that I got diagnosed with cancer in the last pregnancy. I feel like this really was my second chance.
“My daughter used to sit in the bath and try to scrub my mastectomy scars off with a nail brush. I didn’t want her or our new daughter growing up knowing about breast cancer.
“A child shouldn’t have to deal with that. I don’t want them growing up knowing I’m different, I’m scarred. Now I look like any other mum and I feel great. I honestly can’t describe how much the reconstruction has changed my life.”
Watch more of Cass Boyle’s story onThe Feedon SBS 2 tomorrow night at 7.30pm.
Lifestyle guru Martha Stewart is the latest Hollywood big name to declare war on actress-turned-lifestyle-writer Gwyneth Paltrow.
The 72-year-old let fire at Gwyneth, who created the website, Goop, saying “I think I started this whole category of lifestyle”.
Martha was particularly sceptical of Gwyneth’s two cookbooks, which both made the bestseller list.
“I haven’t eaten at Gwyneth’s house and I don’t know how she lives, but if she’s authentic, all the better. I certainly hope she is,” Martha told Bloomberg TV. “She really wants to be part of the lifestyle business. She’s a charming, pretty person who has a feeling for lifestyle. Fine, good.”
This isn’t the first time Gwyneth has come under fire for her lifestyle advice. She’s often criticised for her “overpriced” healthy alternatives and in 2012 the New York Times accused her of using a ghostwriter for her cookbook My Father’s Daughter, which she denied.
“Love @nytimes dining section but this week’s facts need checking. No ghostwriter on my cookbook, I wrote every word myself,” she said on Facebook.
But the tiff with Martha Stewart may be the least of her problems. Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Graydon Carter says the magazine plans to print a tell-all take-down piece, revealing Gwyneth’s true colours.
Gwyneth has made every effort to stop the article being published, including constant complaints and an email campaign to her A-list contacts, warning them not to contribute to the article or have any further involvement with the publication.
But despite her efforts, it looks like the piece is going ahead.
“We started a story on her,” Graydon told the London Times. “We have a very good writer and it’ll run.”
Graydon said Gwyneth’s pleas made him more determined to expose her, saying, “Well, she sort of forced my hand.”
He says Gwyneth, who recently moved from London back to Los Angeles, has a rude awakening coming to her.
“She’ll find Los Angeles very different and very difficult,” he says. “Some famous people believe that they live in a cone of celebrity that protects them… But it doesn’t really exist anymore in LA, unless they stay in.”
One week after Tim Burton was photographed kissing a mystery woman, his wife Helena Bonham Carter has been overheard saying she fears he is "getting sick of her".
One week after Tim Burton was photographed kissing a mystery woman, his wife Helena Bonham Carter has been overheard saying she fears he is “getting sick of her”.
Helena, 47, was attending a bash at the Hampton’s Film Festival on the publicity trail for her new film Burton and Taylor when she reportedly made the comment.
Discussing the prospect of future professional collaboration with her famous filmmaker husband, Helena said: “I’m not sure … I think he must be getting sick of me.”
The New York Post reports Helena said she enjoyed working with her husband when they first met, but it had become increasingly difficult in recent years.
“She said, ‘It was nice to work with him when we were first involved’ but that Sweeney Todd was ‘a disaster’ because they were on each other’s nerves.
“She said, ‘Who knows? Maybe we’ll never work together again.'”
Tim was engulfed in a cheating scandal last week when images of him kissing an unknown woman emerged.
Helena has rubbished affair claims insisting Tim and the woman were part of a much larger group and not out alone.
“This is absolute nonsense,” Helena’s spokesperson told the Daily Express. “The pictures were taken whilst they were out with a large group including family, friends and work colleagues.”
Following the birth of their first child Nori, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West decided to set up their own baby line, and while the project is still top secret, it is causing a rift between the pair.
Not long after Kim gave birth to baby Nori back in June, Kanye encouraged her to start her own children’s line, setting up meetings for her with fashion editor Carine Roitfeld and Givenchy designer Riccardo Tisci.
“He thought it was a great way for her to be taken a little more seriously and cut the cord with her family. He wants her to establish a new career away from reality TV and this is how they think she can do it,” a source told Radar online.
“Kim really threw herself into it because she loves fashion and also because it makes Kanye happy.
“She seems desperate for him to respect her and approve of her.”
Kim is hoping that the new line will help her change her image from a reality TV star to a serious fashion designer, taking the pair out of the spotlight. But “control freak” Kanye won’t let Kim do things her way.
“He opened doors for her where they were once shut, which is great, but now he’s giving her his two cents on everything and it’s driving Kim crazy,” the source claims.
“The truth of the matter is that he doesn’t think Kim has good style and he knows whatever she produces will be a direct reflection on him. He doesn’t trust her to do her own thing.”
Kanye has had no problem showing his disapproval for Kim’s style and famously threw away half of her wardrobe on an episode of Keeping up with the Kardashians.
While Kim wants the line to be low brown, Kanye wants Kim to launch an “extremely high-end and expensive” brand.
“He wants her to use Givenchy, Celine, and Lanvin as inspirations for her sketches,” the source said.
“Kim does, but she says she wants to use Nori as her ‘muse’ and translate her own favorite outfits into ones for the baby.
“So far, it’s just all kinds of wrong and Kanye is constantly correcting her on how to dress Nori.”
The pair, who recently attended Paris Fashion Week came home with numerous expensive designer outfits for their daughter gifted to them by designers like Givenchy, Celine, and Lanvin.
The source adds that Kim is growing tired of the constant corrections from Kanye.
“Kim joked to Kanye that he should give up music for a full-time job in fashion but it didn’t go over well,” the source said.
“Nobody, including Kim, speaks to Kanye like that, especially if they don’t want to see his temper. Kanye snapped at her over it.
“Of course Kim just backed down after that and now she’s suddenly obsessed with creating minimal, fashion-forward outfits for kids. Which just happens to be exactly Kanye’s style.”
Australia’s size 16 supermodel Robyn Lawley has posed for a saucy topless shoot proving just how sexy curves can be.
Robyn, 24, is featured in the November issue of men’s mag GQ Australia looking every bit the international superstar.
“I’ve got big hips and a big body,” Robyn tells the publication. “I’m double, triple the size of other models and I embrace that, I own it.”
The magazine has also won the approval of feminists for its words about Robyn’s size: “Label Robyn Lawley a plus-size model if you want. Or, why not go with our preferred adjective – hot.”
The sexy images were shot by Pierre Toussaint for *GQ* Australia.
The sexy images were shot by Pierre Toussaint for GQ Australia.
Robyn is proud of the shoot, posting these images on her Facebook page.
Robyn shows off her enviable curves in the magazine.
It’s not hard to see why Robyn is one of the most successful plus-size models.
Robyn her own swimwear range for Bond-Eye earlier this year.
Styling Crown Princess Mary of Denmark was a dream come true for The Weekly’s fashion editor Mattie Cronan. She reveals what it was like to work with some of Australia’s top designers and dress the Crown Princess for the cover of The Weekly’s 80th birthday issue.
Being asked to style and work on a cover is an exciting task. We only have 12 covers a year, which leaves no margin for error. Choosing the right photographer, finding the best location and getting the clothes just right is one big puzzle that needs to be fitted together precisely. So to be asked by The Weekly’s editor to style the cover for 80th birthday issue was such an honour, and then to find out I would be dressing Crown Princess Mary, in Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen. Wow. To say I was excited is an understatement. This my biggest career achievement to date, it was such a huge task.
Crown Princess Mary had suggested that since this was a birthday celebration for The Weekly, she would love to wear Australian fashion. We were thrilled. I got to work speaking directly to the designers in strict confidence to set the wheels in motion. With so many talented local designers it was very hard to narrow it down to a very select few. In the end we chose labels that represent Australia on a world stage and also those that suit the Crown Princess’ own personal style. My personal aim was to capture timeless images.
I approached each designer individually. Some made custom gowns, while others provided gowns and dresses from their very latest collections that had most recently been shown at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week and were not in store yet. I trawled the internet looking at trends locally and internationally and worked on a couple of colour palettes, one quite bold and another that was golden and soft and that in the end worked perfectly within the palace walls. I had several meetings with the Editor-in-Chief, our Deputy Editor, Creative and Photographic editors and of course our photographer. It was such a seamless job to work on we were all well prepared and had a strong vision from the start and the images far exceeded our expectations.
Our first shot of the day was a custom Carla Zampatti gown. I met with Carla and we discussed colour options: red, yellow, navy. Carla is one of The Weekly’s constant go-to designers and even though as a general rule bright colours work best on the magazine cover, the one fabric that she and I were continually drawn back to was the most gorgeous softest pale pink brocade. Carla decided on a customised variation on her off the shoulder Tuxedo hem dress. It skimmed the ankle at the front and had an exaggerated train at the back. The textured fabric was stunning against the Crown Princess’s luminous skin, she looked so regal as she sat in a gorgeous gilded chair in a room full of extraordinary tapestries.
The second look we shot was by Toni Maticevski. The Crown Princess clearly loved wearing this gown and beamed while she wore it out in the grounds of the palace garden. Prior to the shoot I had met with Toni’s Sydney-based PR. We had a secret meeting in a café called Bambini — so from then on we referred to our plans as “Operation Bambini”. Toni provided some truly stunning bespoke gowns, all of which were fantastic, but it was the Monaco gown that stole the Crown Princess’ heart.
Before lunch we moved into the dining room with Crown Princess Mary wearing a Jayson Brunsdon skirt. Jayson has already made a few pieces for the Crown Princess, she is often seen wearing some of his designs all over the world. So Jayson was of course keen to create something unique for this special shoot. The designer was working with some incredible brocades and we thought about the various silhouettes that would work for the shoot.
We started with this gorgeous oversized floral brocade in a metallic Blue and silver on a black background; Jayson and I were both loving the new ankle length skirts around at the moment, so he sketched up a suggestion that I loved immediately. It was modern style that worked perfectly in the series. The end result was a dramatic image, set against a work of art by a contemporary Danish artist providing a striking clash of colour and print.
After lunch we moved into the Grand Ballroom where we had expected to shoot our cover options. First up was Alex Perry. The Alex Perry dress came down to the wire, Alex had made two custom gowns for our shoot after Judith Cook, The Weekly’s Style Director and I had a fun meeting with him in his East Sydney studio. Alex sits in a room filled with inspiring fabrics, mannequins and gorgeous new season samples. Corkboards line his office walls and are covered with sketches from his newest collections. We talked colour, fabrics and we were all so excited to be working on this very exciting and top secret project. Yellow was our first choice, Alex had thought it would be best to have the colour dyed to our specific colour choice, as it would be too hard to get something ordered internationally in time.
So Alex got to work, he sketched and pinned tulle and lace on to mannequin in front of us to show us what he had in mind. Judith and I both left very excited about what he was about to create. As I left for Denmark some weeks later Alex was still awaiting one of the fabrics to come back so he could whip up his gown fit for a Princess; luckily it arrived in time for his team to drop everything and create a truly stunning gown which our Deputy Editor Juliet Rieden hand delivered to me when she arrived in Copenhagen the day before the shoot. It was such a special moment, as Crown Princess Mary stood in Grand Ballroom wearing the gown with the exquisite tiara and earrings she had worn on her wedding day to Crown Prince Frederik nearly 10 years before.
Our final look of the day was by Aurelio Costarella. Aurelio had provided a few gorgeous gowns. One of which had been recently shown at Mercedes Benz Fashion week as part of a stunning installation to celebrate his 30 years in the business. The Hestia gown is golden hued with streams of soft diaphanous silk tulle, it had not yet been worn and had been saved for the right occasion to present itself. The soft layered dress lent itself to the relaxed and barefoot cover picture which was actually the very last shot of the day.
The Crown Princess looked radiant and elegant sitting crossed legged as the gorgeous European afternoon light steamed into the grand ballroom. As soon as these images came back into the office Editor-In-Chief Helen McCabe had no doubt this would be our cover. It is the Crown Princess as we have never seen before.
Barb Cook was just 14 years old when her mother was dragged off to an asylum because she had autism. For the next 25 years, Barb tried keep her own symptoms hidden from medical professionals until she was finally diagnosed with Asperger’s at 40. Here, she writes about her journey from terror to acceptance and relief.
Watching my mother’s sleeping body strapped to a hospital bed, carried downstairs and put into an ambulance, was like watching a silent movie in slow motion. My mind tried to make sense of the situation. Why were they taking her away?
My father was convinced she was “mental” and had signed her into a psychiatric institution.
My mother had always been different. She was socially awkward, had no friends, and didn’t like to be touched or hugged.
Years later, comments my father made about her unfeminine ways would finally make sense to me.
Barb with her mother in the 1980s.
After three days we were allowed to visit. A 1980s UK psychiatric ward is not something any 14-year-old should experience. It was incredibly frightening and sad.
Mum was happy to see us. “I have done everything they asked of me, and I can come home now!” she exclaimed.
I’ll never forget her face when they refused. Her mistake was a huge meltdown. She was dragged away, drugged, and her true spirit was gone forever.
Over the next 15 years, she was permanently drugged as they tried to find a combination that worked. One such combination made her psychotic and she jumped from the roof. She became lost in her own world after 18 sessions of shock therapy.
Eventually, her life ended tragically when they gave her a toxic combination of medication.
She was finally gone from the tormented world of institutions, and I grew up with an enormous fear of mental health organisations and professionals, and that I could also have schizophrenia, manic depression and paranoia (as they misdiagnosed my mother).
Throughout my life, I struggled to fit in. Social situations overwhelmed me, and making eye contact was painful. I was labelled as stuck-up, but the reality was that I just had no idea how to carry a conversation.
I didn’t understand the world, and the fear of being locked away constantly made me fearful.
In the mid-1990s, I met Paul, who is now my partner. He understood me (and vice versa). Years later, an advertisement about Tourette’s made me wonder whether there was something different about us.
Modern technology meant that it was now much easier to search for such things, and I soon realised Paul had a form of autism, and a lot of the symptoms were ringing bells with me.
The word autism had previously brought to mind images of a non-verbal person flapping hands and rocking in the corner, shut off from the world.
I never realised that the Autism Spectrum could be so diverse. Days of researching the internet, reading books from the library, and even watching a movie calledMozart and the Whaleabout a couple with Asperger’s, was an emotional rollercoaster for both of us.
Paul collapsed in the middle of cooking dinner one night. His legs went weak from the sheer enormity of it all. In some ways it was like going through the five stages of grief: disbelief, grief, anger, despair and acceptance.
We both went to see a psychologist. Paul was quickly diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, however I was initially misdiagnosed with Bipolar Disorder.
My fears were ignited; I was going to end up in an institution for the rest of my life. I left the office in despair. I didn’t know then that women and girls with autism or Asperger’s are often misdiagnosed with bipolar or a personality disorder.
As time went on Paul flourished, finally able to understand himself, but I felt doomed. I could not make the connection to my misdiagnosis of bipolar.
Six months later, we saw a new GP. She quickly confirmed I did not have bipolar. She watch the odd interactions between Paul and I (finishing each other’s sentences, and talking over the top of each other), and sent me to a psychiatrist.
I was videoed, filled out questionnaires, wrote an essay about my childhood, and completed reading and tracking tests which showed I had a learning difficulty despite having an IQ over 150. My final diagnosis was Asperger’s and ADHD.
At the time of testing, it was explained that my Asperger’s was “different”, however now a female profile of Asperger’s is emerging. A new diagnostic tool designed by Professor Tony Attwood will better improve the diagnostic process, sparing girls and women from damage caused by misdiagnosis.
Finally I also had acceptance in my life. We both now understand who we are, which gives us personal empowerment. We no longer listen to naysayers. More importantly, we now have a direction and a purpose to our different, but not less, lives.
Barb and Paul are embarking on a year-long motorcycle ride around Australia to film a new documentary, Autism All Grown Up, which will investigate the difficulties faced by adults on the spectrum.
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