'I felt like a burden until my husband told me I was a privilege' with Chloé Hayden

'I felt like a burden until my husband told me I was a privilege' with Chloé Hayden

From Inherited by Shameless Media

April 20, 2026 · 54 min

About this episode

Chloé Hayden discusses her journey as an openly autistic actress and her experiences growing up.

Hello! Today I’m joined by Chloé Hayden. Chloé is an actor, author, and advocate, best known for her role as Quinni in the hit Netflix series Heartbreak High. In 2022, she became Australia’s first openly autistic actress in a leading TV role, helping to redefine on-screen representation of neurodivergent people. In this conversation, we dive into Chloé’s upbringing, from growing up as the eldest of five to having over 50 foster siblings, and why homeschooling ended up being one of the best decisions her parents ever made for her. We talk about her relationship with her husband Dylan, her lifelong love of the Titanic, and how she first found her way into acting. We also get into Heartbreak High, the impact of Quinni as a character, why the role means so much to so many people, and what it was like the moment they called ‘cut’ on set for the very last time. Thank you so much to Moonpig for supporting this episode of Inherited. Every Mum deserves a Moonpig card! Our Inherited listeners get 50% off all cards. Just head to moonpig.com and use code SHAMELESS50. Your host today was Ruby Hall (⁠⁠⁠@rubytuesday2.0⁠⁠⁠), and the guest was Chloé Hayden (@chloeshayden). If you'd like to hear…

People in this episode

Host: Ruby Hall

Guest: Chloé Hayden

Topics covered

  • autism representation
  • acting
  • homeschooling
  • personal relationships
  • foster care
  • neurodiversity

Keywords

  • autism
  • acting career
  • Heartbreak High
  • homeschooling
  • foster siblings
  • neurodivergent representation

Sponsors

Moonpig

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Heartbreak High

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