Hollywood heartthrob Channing Tatum is carving out a very successful movie career for himself, but according to the 34 year-old actor, finding fame and fortune wasn't due his intellect, especially since he struggled with ADHD and dyslexia while growing up.

Channing Tatum
Tatum suffered with ADHD and dyslexia was a child

Tatum recently revealed his childhood battles with these learning disorders in the Oct. 19 issue of T, The New York Times Style Magazine, and opened up about how school was a difficult period for him.

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"I have never considered myself a very smart person, for a lot of reasons. Not having early success on that one path messes with you," he said. "You get lumped in classes with kids with autism and Down Syndrome, and you look around and say, 'OK, so this is where I'm at.' Or you get put in the typical classes and you say, 'All right, I'm obviously not like these kids either.' So you're kind of nowhere. You're just different. The system is broken. If we can streamline a multibillion-dollar company, we should be able to help kids who struggle the way I did."

Despite having a disadvantage when it came to education, Tatum taught himself by different means. "My mom said, 'Be a sponge.' And so I've learned more from people than I have from school or from books," he added.

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Although many movie critics may still see Tatum as someone with more sex appeal than acting talent, the former model is far more attentive than people realize.

"I've always negotiated the world very physically, from football to tussling at the playground to taking my clothes off," he said of his upbringing. "My dad's a physical guy. I think that's how I wanted to see myself as a kid, how I won approval, and it's no secret that that's how I got into this business. But over time I've been able to develop other aspects of myself, sort of on-the-job training."

Channing Tatum
Tatum and his wife, Jenna, welcomed their first child into the world in May 2013

As well as being one of Hollywood's most sought-after stars, Tatum and his wife, Jenna Dewan-Tatum, have to deal with huge life changes, especially since their firstborn daughter, Everly, was born in May 2013.

"You notice your behavior, like, 'Wow, I don't have much patience right now. Why is that?' You spend the day watching this thing constantly taking in information, and you have to be sure you're making that happen," he said. "At the end of the day when I put her to bed, I feel glad to have some peace but say to myself, 'That was so much fun.'"