'I tried to take my own life': Somerset MP on teenage struggle with dyslexia
A Somerset MP has revealed his struggles with severe dyslexia once led to him trying to take his own life, as he opens up as part of a campaign being led by Jamie Oliver.
Liberal Democrat Adam Dance is joining the celebrity chef in calling for teachers to be better trained in offering the support that children with the condition need, and for mandatory early screening to be introduced.
"When I was at school I used to play up to get out of the classroom because I felt stupid," Dance says.
"I felt stupid, I was bullied, and I even tried to take my own life at one point."
Free school meals to be expanded to all families on universal credit
Oliver's documentary on Channel 4, called 'Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution', is targeted at decision-makers in Westminster and hopes to pick up enough momentum to force those in power to listen.
Already, it has encouraged the Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson to commit to proper training for new teachers from this September.
The chef has already rallied outside Parliament with campaigners, parents and those with lived experience, and he plans to keep putting pressure on the Labour government along with other MPs, like Dance.
The Yeovil MP was elected to the Somerset constituency in July last year and has spoken publicly about how he navigates living with dyslexia and ADHD.
Speaking with Oliver in the documentary, he says he has been "really touched" by the chef's campaign, admitting that he chose to go into politics "because people like me and you need someone to speak to them".
Dance's first encounter with local politics was when he was 16 years old and, with the support of his local Lib Dem MP, he helped save his local youth club from closure. The centre was a "saviour" for Dance, who was struggling with a lack of support in school for his dyslexia.
It was then that the late Paddy Ashdown - former Lib Dem leader and Yeovil MP - spotted a future politician in the teenager and encouraged him to get involved with the party at a local level.
Dance then went on to become a local councillor, and in 2022 became the lead member for public health at Somerset Council. Two of Dance's most high-profile campaigns as an MP have been related to saving services at Yeovil District Hospital.
He admits he never expected to become an MP, but is open about the fact his challenges at school made him more resilient, and he says he wants to be the voice in Westminster that he feels he didn't have when he was a young boy in Yeovil.
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