Pop icon Gwen Stefani was recently diagnosed with dyslexia, a learning disorder related to reading and language, at age 51. Stefani discovered her condition while seeking support for her three sons’ learning difficulties (dyslexia has hereditary aspects). The No Doubt frontwoman told Good Morning America that her sons “have these incredible teachers and schools and they don’t have to have shame about it” while reflecting that her own undiagnosed dyslexia had affected her self-esteem for decades. Stefani’s late-in-life diagnosis is a welcome reminder that everyone learns and processes information differently, and that learning disorders are nothing to be ashamed of. Read on to find out more about other famous faces with dyslexia you may not have known about. Ivanka Trump’s severed ties – from Anna Wintour to Chelsea Clinton Cher The entertainment legend and activist was only diagnosed with dyslexia and dyscalculia (a learning disability related to numbers and arithmetic) in her thirties, when she brought her son Chaz to get tested. Cher had previously dropped out of school at age 16. As she struggles with numbers and reading, her mother later encouraged her to leave her business affairs to ex-husband Sonny Bono, with disastrous results. Post-divorce, Cher would reclaim her financial independence and give the iconic quote “mum, I am a rich man” in response to her mother’s suggestion she remarry for wealth. Jennifer Aniston Aniston discovered her dyslexia in her twenties during a routine exam for prescription glasses. She revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that, before her diagnosis, “I thought I wasn’t smart. I just couldn’t retain anything.” Ashley Biden vs Ivanka Trump: 6 differences between the first daughters Salma Hayek Hayek’s early dyslexia diagnosis helped her succeed academically and pursue a political science degree at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. But her struggles intensified when she moved from her native Mexico to the USA, where she could hardly read street signs. Thankfully, with support, Hayek’s persistence paid off. “I have an accent, am dyslexic, short and chubby . You name it, I have it, but I am here,” she told Harper’s Bazaar in 2012. Whoopi Goldberg The EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony) winner and television host credits her supportive and adaptive mother with affirming her self-esteem. Although a lack of diagnosis in childhood led peers to question Goldberg’s intelligence, she told the Academy of Achievement that, “I knew I wasn’t stupid, and I knew I wasn’t dumb. My mother told me that.” Now one of the most awarded entertainers of all time, Goldberg works around her dyslexia by having text read aloud or audio-recorded for her. Did Covid-19 help Barack Obama accept his daughter’s boyfriend? Keira Knightley The story of how Keira Knightley requested an agent at the age of three is a well-documented one. What fewer people know, however, is that her wish finally came true at age six, and only after agreeing to accept professional help for her (then-recently diagnosed) dyslexia. Octavia Spencer Thanks to a supportive school environment, not only was Oscar-winner Spencer able to receive support for her dyslexia, teachers realised her problem-solving skills exceeded that of her peers. “I was a dyslexic child and am a dyslexic adult; that doesn’t really mean that you’re not intelligent – it just means that your brain functions differently,” Spencer once told entertainment news agency WENN. In addition to being an actress, she is also a children’s book author. Want more stories like this? Sign up here . Follow STYLE on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and Twitter .