(telegraph.co.uk) - Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe has revealed he suffers from dyspraxia, meaning he sometimes still has trouble tying his shoelaces. The 19-year-old admitted he was a sufferer in an interview to mark his Broadway debut in the play Equus.
Dyspraxia is a common neurological problem that impairs the organisation of movement, often with no obvious cause.
Up to 10 per cent of people in Britain show signs of the condition, with about two per cent severely affected - males four times more likely to be affected than females.
It can affect any or all areas of development, including intellectual, physical and language, possibly impairing someone's normal learning process.
Although Radcliffe's is understood to be a mild form of the disorder, severe cases can make it difficult to walk up and down stairs or kick a ball.
The star revealed he became an actor partly because his dyspraxia meant he was not successful at school.
He said his mother allowed him to audition for a BBC version of David Copperfield, as a means of boosting his confidence.
The Dickens adaptation was his first hit, and since appearing as Harry Potter for the first time, he has earned an estimated personal fortune of ?17 million.
A leading authority on dyspraxia, neurologist Dr David Younger of the New York University Medical School, said: "I'm a big fan of the whole Harry Potter series and I am surprised Daniel Radcliffe suffers from dyspraxia.
"He clearly suffers from a mild form, but the fact he shows no sign of it at all is a great tribute to his acting skills and makes him a role model for other people with this condition."
Radcliffe's spokeswoman said: "Yes, Dan Radcliffe does have dyspraxia. This is something he has never hidden. Thankfully his condition is very mild and at worst manifests itself in an inability to tie his shoe laces and bad handwriting."