HOUSE RULES’ DAVID & CHIARA
THE CANDID COUPLE OPEN UP ABOUT THE DAD-OFTHREE’S SERIOUS HEALTH BATTLE
There’s no denying Perth parents Chiara and David have worn their hearts on their sleeves throughout the House Rules competition.
From clashes with other teams to emotionally-fuelled fights between themselves, the feisty duo have had their fair share of drama.
However, until now, Chiara, 32, and David, 38, have kept quiet on an enormous health battle, which has greatly affected their time on House Rules.
‘I have been diagnosed with ADHD,’ David exclusively tells New Idea. ‘I had a complete mental breakdown on the last day of the Victoria renovation. I couldn’t cope.’
The proud parents of Seth, eight, Taya, six, and Ellie Mae, three, open up about the harrowing journey they’ve been on so far... How were you diagnosed with ADHD? DAVID: I was misdiagnosed with depression when I was younger. They thought I had really bad depression and anxiety. But it kept getting worse and worse. I got so depressed, I got so anxious. I felt like everything was on top of me. I couldn’t speak to anyone about it. I finally got enough courage to go and see a psychologist. CHIARA: He lost his job and that brought everything to light. So, he bit the bullet. We just decided that money was nothing compared to his health. We just kept putting everything on the credit card. He went through several psychiatrists and we found a holistic one. How did that doctor help? DAVID: It’s about getting my medication right, but also, I don’t eat red meat now. That’s a massive trigger for me, as well as lack of sleep. Ideally, in the future, I will be a vegetarian. It’s something to do with hormones. My hormones are completely out of whack because of my ADHD. How has the ADHD affected your time on the show as a couple? CHIARA: I think it’s the hardest thing we’ve had to deal with throughout this competition. He was only diagnosed a few years ago and he’s still on that road to getting medication right and seeing the doctor. Throughout this whole season it’s been a case of getting his dosage right. The doctor told him to increase his medication because of the pressure and the stress, but that wasn’t good. It’s really hard to wake up each day not knowing which mood he’s going to be in. I don’t know how to tackle him. So, what happened after the doctor increased the medication dosage? DAVID: It sent me the other way. It made me anxious. CHIARA: It was making his mind race. He was getting so racy and so anxious. I’m trying to keep it together because I’m trying to focus on what I’m doing, I’m trying to hold it together for him. We’ve got the cameras, we’ve got the build, we’ve got our children back at home... when all these factors come into play, he isn’t able to actually focus on what’s happening. So how did you cope with it? DAVID: I had to stand up and