Five years ago, Shellharbour man Coby Watts was deep in the throes of a drug addiction that spiralled after years as a successful DJ. Subscribe now for unlimited access . Login or signup to continue reading The 29-year-old toured internationally and his name was getting bigger after collaborating with artists like DJ Tigerlily.
He had his own tour lined up, and then COVID hit. Everything was cancelled. While the world shut down, Mr Watts was forced to confront his addiction to cocaine, as well as recent mental health diagnoses of ADHD and bipolar.
He didn't think he'd survive it. "I really lost myself ..
. I'm very lucky to be here today," the former Warilla High School student said. "I put my mum through a lot of tough things, seeing her son this way, no mother deserves to see that.
"The biggest challenge was facing myself without using and sitting and feeling all the emotions I've been hiding with drugs and alcohol for all those years." Mr Watts began expressing himself was posting videos online about ADHD, exuding fun while also not shying away from the real challenges that come with being neurodivergent. It was 2020, and the world was starting to learn more about the disorder.
"I think I was just trying to survive, it was my way of expressing how I was feeling and who I am as a person," Mr Watts said. "(Making videos) just became my way of coping with life and then I posted a video about ADHD and I remember heaps of views rolled in and I was like, 'Wait, what?'" His growth on Tik Tok, Instagram and Facebook was meteoric and is still rising: he now has 2.3 million followers across those platforms.
Mr Watts had no idea people would resonate they way they do, and he never planned to make something big of it. "Your reels are a diary of my life," one woman commented on one of his Instagram posts. He put his growth - recently gaining 50,000 new Facebook followers in 20 days - down to his honesty and authenticity, saying "I don't really feel the need to hide how I'm feeling now".
"I've seen people say 'You've save my life, you've helped me be here today, I've started doing what's best for me' ...
that's a beautiful feeling for me. "If I didn't have the community at one point in time in my life, I don't think I would have been here today." Mr Watts was also diagnosed with autism two years after his ADHD diagnosis.
"After a long time of trying to figure everything out, I guess the labels autism and ADHD were finally the two that helped me realise who I am, which is a lot better," he said. Now Mr Watts lives by his own motto that he shares with his loyal followers: Own Your Weirdness. "It's not in a negative way - it just shows people to own who you are and don't shelter or mask for anyone," he said.
"Because when you're doing that, you're just hurting yourself. "Owning your weirdness is so important because when you be who you truly are, you attract the right people. "That's why I believe my social media has attracted people all over the world because I showed everyone this is who I am.
" Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury. Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury. More from Latest News Newsletters & Alerts DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team.
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