Hilaria Baldwin, yoga instructor and wife of actor Alec Baldwin, is once again addressing the controversy over her Spanish accent, this time attributing her fluctuating speech patterns to her struggles with ADHD and dyslexia.

In her new memoir, "Manual Not Included," Baldwin opens up about how her neurodivergence has affected her language and identity, saying these conditions "greatly impact my speech."

"The more I got treatment for the ADHD that I was trying to ignore, the better I got at separating the two languages and not getting as distracted," Baldwin wrote in her book, according to People magazine. "I am mixed-up but I am not bad or broken. And then Hilaria returned."

Baldwin first faced widespread criticism in 2020 when it was revealed that, despite her public persona as a Spanish woman, she was born and raised in Boston under the name Hillary Hayward-Thomas. For years, she had spoken with a Spanish accent in interviews and claimed Spanish as her first language.

The revelation led to accusations of cultural appropriation and faking her heritage, which Baldwin has repeatedly denied. She has explained that her family spent significant time in Spain and that she was raised speaking both English and Spanish.

In her memoir, Baldwin writes candidly about the toll the controversy took on her mental health, describing feeling "confused" and "lost" as online criticism mounted. She recalls moments of deep sadness, especially when the backlash was at its peak. She also addresses specific incidents, such as forgetting the English word for "cucumber" during a 2015 television appearance, attributing such moments to her "processing differences" rather than any attempt to deceive.

Despite the controversy, Baldwin says she is learning to embrace her unique background and the way her brain works. She continues to teach her children both languages.

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