Tanya Bardsley Opens About Her Battle With Dyslexia!

Tanya Bardsley is opening up about her battle with dyslexia. The Real Housewives of Cheshire star has revealed that she grew up feeling ­stupid and ­dreaded going to school – not realizing that she had dyslexia.

Bardsley was diagnosed just four years ago after discovering her son Rocco (11) also has the learning disorder.

“I always just thought I was thick,” said Tanya told the Mirror. “I’d cry at school. At the thought of doing public reading, I’d just burst into tears. I thought I was stupid and weird because all my other ­classmates could do it ­normally. I hated it.”

“I’d struggle to sleep, dreading going in. It was humiliating. There were sniggers when I read in front of class. There was a sinking feeling. It was awful, I still ­remember it to this day.”

“When I found out I was ­dyslexic, I was so relieved I wasn’t thick,” Tanya explained.

The mother-of-four is married to footballer Phil Bardsley. He also has dyslexia so getting to grips with homeschooling Rocco and their other sons Renz (8), and Ralphi (3), has been stressful.

“It’s horrific,” she said. “It’s really hard for dyslexic parents to do. The kids are driving me crazy. We don’t send our kids to private schools but my friends who do have actual Zoom lessons. My kids’ school has not been doing that.

“The school has been sending emails but as someone with dyslexia, I just don’t get it. So how am I meant to teach that?” she said. “There have been a lot of tears in lockdown – from me, mainly.”

Tanya admits she decided to open up about her battle with dyslexia for the first time after she was hit by guilt when she realized that she may have passed on the disorder to her children.

“With Rocco, they did this little game at school on the computer and he was ­diagnosed,” she said. “They say it’s ­hereditary so at the time, the teacher said she thought I had it as well.

“Me and Phil were in bed and I was crying. I thought it was all my fault as it’s hereditary and we’d given all our kids it.”

“Phil said, ‘Look at us. Look how far we’ve come from working-class families. We’ve done really well. We’ve both ­overcome it’.“I tell Rocco he might not be as good at reading but he’s an amazing footballer. He’s signed for Stoke City.

Tanya added that her undiagnosed dyslexia caused her to develop mental health issues. “I’ve always struggled with anxiety and depression,” she told the Mirror. “That’s why I became a life coach. I’m passionate about helping other people.”

Photo Credit: ITVBe