'A place that was pretty dark for me': Em Rusciano's mission to help others after her ADHD/autism diagnosis

EXCLUSIVE: "It's been great to shine a light in a place that was pretty dark for me for a little while, and I know has been for other people," Em Rusciano says of using her platform for good.The comedian, TV and radio personality and former Australian Idol star, 47, has long been open about her experience of being diagnosed with ADHD and autism in her 40s."Being ADHD/autistic isn't a negative in any way. It was an explainer. It gave me context," she tells nine.com.auWatch the video above."It gave me the map and the keys to my brain, and in some ways it makes my life hard and in some ways it makes it pretty magical, and it's not about lying about it either."Rusciano's own experience, including perimenopause, influenced her to create the podcasts Anomalous with Em Rusciano and Rage Against the Vagine in a bid to help others."I try to be the person and the information source that I really needed when I was going through it," she says.READ MORE: Tammy Hembrow's vow for new romance: 'Something I want to protect'READ MORE: Jennifer Aniston shares rare loved-up snap with boyfriendREAD MORE: How King Charles got his wish for a slimmed down monarchy"The internet was so overwhelming when I found out about being autistic/ADHD and in perimenopause."There's so much conflicting information, and everyone's got an opinion and trying to sell you supplements"I thought, 'God, I wish there was a simplified, easy to consume, funny, heart-filled, messy [information source]', so I make those things."The feedback I get is always, 'I feel less alone, I'm not crying alone at 2am in the foetal position at night. Thank you.'"I've just formed this great community with neurodivergent people online also, and a lot of them come to my shows and they approach me on the street."It's been really important to me to help me understand myself and part of the journey of it all, too."Reflecting on her constantly-evolving career, which has ranged from music to radio, standup and TV, Rusciano says with a chuckle, "A lot of that is staying interested.""Why wouldn't I play every single card I have in my hands, play every string of my bow?"It's just always felt really natural to go do the next thing, or to evolve something or to make something bigger and better."I'm always asking, 'How can I make this more accessible, how can I make this more interesting or how can I help as many people as possible with what I'm doing with this work?' And I really love my job and what I do."Rusciano, who is helping celebrate the launch of Arnott's Shapes Light & Crispy, rose to national fame thanks to Australian Idol.She appeared on the second season back in 2004, alongside the likes of Ricki-Lee Coulter and Anthony Callea.She recently enjoyed a small reunion with her co-stars."I was so young and experiencing so much and thrust into this world of reality TV when it had just begun. It was really in its infancy," she muses to nine.com.au."I wouldn't have a career without Australian Idol. So I'm not about to sit here and say it was a bad thing."It was a great thing for me, and but at the time ... it was a baptism of fire. I was having to learn media skills and I'd never really sung in public before."Rusciano is supporting the launch of Arnott's Shapes Light & Crispy and the '& era' campaign of snacking."I just love Shapes. I've always loved Shapes," she says."The idea behind the '& era' is kind of something I've lived my entire life by, because I'm a bit of everything, especially within the entertainment industry.For a daily dose of 9honey, subscribe to our newsletter here."They always want me to pick one lane. 'Are you a comedian? Are you a podcaster? Are you a singer? Are you a stand-up? Are you a cabaret act?'"My attitude was always, 'Why can't I be all of those things?'"So this campaign was kind of great when they came to me. First of all, they said, 'We're from Shapes,' and I said, 'Say less, I'm in.'"Rusciano says the salt and vinegar flavour is her favourite.FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.