Paris Hilton has said she struggled during her younger years before she was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, which she now considers her “superpower”.
The media personality, 45, has created a children’s animated series called Paris & Pups, about a 12-year-old girl named Paris Star who has ADHD and goes on adventures with her dogs while living at the Fabuluxe hotel.
Hilton did not receive her diagnosis until she was in her late 20s, telling the Press Association that “no one was talking about ADHD, especially for young girls” when she was growing up.
She said: “At school, I was constantly getting punished, it was hard for me to remember things, or getting bad grades. School systems are not built for minds like ours.
“It made it really hard and I always felt really misunderstood. It was difficult because the teachers were not supportive of it and didn’t understand it.
“I wish I had known back then because I would have been able to be supported in a better way. A kid can really flourish when their brain is being supported.”
Hilton added that she worked with Understood.org, a non-profit that supports people with neurodivergence, in the creation of the show.
She said: “I feel there’s not a lot of characters in children’s shows that have ADHD.
“It’s a huge part of who I am and I feel that, growing up, a lot of people only talked about the negative parts of ADHD and I really feel like it’s my superpower.
“I wanted to show that in the show, her creative energy, how she believes anything is possible, her empathy for others, her personality and the adventures she goes on.
“It’s showing kids that it’s something that can be celebrated. I know so many kids watching it will be able to relate to it and be inspired by it.”
Hilton and her husband, venture capitalist Carter Reum, welcomed their son Phoenix in January 2023 and their daughter London followed in November of that year. Both children were born via surrogate.
She said: “It means a lot to be able to create content for my babies and other children around the world.
“Becoming a mom made it feel so much more personal.
“I’m experiencing everything through Phoenix and London’s eyes now and it’s made me think differently about the stories children hear and the messages they take in when they’re young. I want them to be able to be inspired by it.
“I see a lot of other cartoons out there that I don’t think are appropriate for children to be watching so I love that I can create something that is so positive.”
Hilton described her children’s excitement at recognising their mother on screen, adding: “The whole time they’re like ‘mommy!’ when my character is on screen.
“I can’t imagine how cool that would be, watching a cartoon and seeing your actual mom and dogs on it.”
The idea to set the show in a hotel came from Hilton’s own upbringing.
She is the great-grandchild of Conrad Hilton, the founder of Hilton Hotels, and spent some of her teen years living at the Waldorf Astoria luxury hotel in New York.
Hilton rose to fame in her late teens as a socialite and was a regular fixture in the media alongside her younger sister, Nicky.
She has since made several film and TV appearances and founded a production company, 11:11 Media in 2021.
The heiress, who described herself as a “kid at heart” plans on creating more content for children in the future.
She said: “I have other ideas in development for children. That’s been a lot of fun, to use my ADHD creative mind on these different projects.”
Paris & Pups, which is aimed at children between ages five and eight, is available to view on Sky Kids and Now.
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