Celebrities who have struggled with anxiety and panic attacks

Elizabeth Olsen recently opened up about when she started to experience panic attacks in New York at the age of 21, a feeling that was "very weird" to her because she was not anxious as a child. "I remember I would get [panic attacks] on the hour every hour," Olsen said in an interview with Variety published October 3 2022. "I used to live on 13th Street between 6th and 7th. I was crossing 6th Avenue at 14th Street, and I realized I couldn't cross the street—I stood up against the wall, and I just thought I was going to drop dead at any moment."

The 'WandaVision' star continued, "If I went from cold to hot, hot to cold, full to hungry, hungry to full—any kind of shift in my body, my whole body thought, 'Uh oh, something's wrong!'" She added, "A ENT doctor said that it could be vertigo related because it was all about truly spinning. So it was an interesting six months." To cope with the feelings, Olsen would use a grounding technique called "repetition," in which "You just are constantly making observations about the person in front of you and you're just trying to connect," a technique also conveniently used in acting. "When I would walk down the street, I would just start naming everything I saw out loud to get myself out of the spiraling thoughts in my brain," she said.

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Prince Harry - The Prince admitted to suffering from panic attacks after the death of his mother Princess Diana, to People.

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Prince Harry - He said he used to suffer from cold sweats and feel his heart beating quickly when he felt uncomfortable - for instance, when he was in a room with lots of people.

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Madonna - As reported by the Daily Mail in 2008, the Queen of Pop said that there are times when she feels invincible on stage, but sometimes she feels like she could just die.

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Madonna -

She admitted to suffering from panic attacks, and that she can't live up to people's expectations.

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Bella Hadid -

Supermodel Bella Hadid has opened up about her own struggles with anxiety. She was inspired by a similar social media post from Willow Smith and decided to share her own story. She posted several photos of herself in tears and said "This is pretty much my everyday, every night for a few years now." She reminded her followers, "Social media is not real. For anyone struggling, please remember that. Sometimes all you've gotta hear is that you're not alone. So from me to you, you're not alone." Her story serves as a powerful reminder that we shouldn't believe everything we see on social media or compare ourselves to that "reality."

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Amanda Seyfried - In an interview with Glamour, the actress said she had made progress with therapy but still suffered from panic attacks.

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Amanda Seyfried -

The star admitted she became very nervous and worried she was over-thinking things. She says she worries about her parents and her dog a lot.

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Adele - The British superstar says she doesn't like touring as she feels vulnerable singing in front of thousands of people.

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Adele - According to the Daily Mail, she admitted to having anxiety attacks and feeling panicky onstage.

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Ellie Goulding - Ellie revealed to Metro UK that she goes to therapy to deal with panic attacks. She once was on the way to a funeral when she started having heart palpitations.

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Ellie Goulding - She thought she was having a heart attack and it was so bad she told another passenger she thought she was dying.

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Robbie Williams - In June 2017, the singer's wife revealed that he had a panic attack and had to be taken to hospital.

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Robbie Williams - According to the Daily Mail, Ayda Field said that Robbie had been lying on the sofa when all of a sudden he felt as if he were having a heart attack. They were terrified, but thankfully it all turned out alright.

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Oprah Winfrey - Even the prestigious actress and TV host, to whom tribute was paid at the Golden Globes, has had panic attacks during long periods of work.

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Oprah Winfrey - 'In the beginning, it was just sort of speeding and a kind of numbness', she told Access Hollywood, going on to say: 'When I realized, I thought, ‘All right, if I don’t calm down I’m gonna be in serious trouble.'

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Lena Dunham - She has spoken to The Guardian about her panic attacks, which kept her from sleeping.

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Lena Dunham - In 2014, Lena spoke of how she felt nervous about turning 30 and coping with ageing. The actress said in a post on her Instagram account that she treats her problems with physical exercise.

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Stephen Amell - The Green Arrow took to his Facebook to talk about a panic attack he had in December 2017 during a trip to the French Polynesia.

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Stephen Amell - The star said he started having problems with heights during a zipline course. His hands were trembling, knees shaking and he was sweating more than usual.

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Caitlyn Jenner - Caitlyn suffered a panic attack after undergoing plastic surgery, as told by Vanity Fair.

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Caitlyn Jenner - She began questioning her choice to undergo surgery, but was calmed down by nurses.

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John Mayer - In an interview with Rolling Stone, John Mayer spoke of panics attacks he experienced, caused by an irrational fear of ending in a mental hospital.

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John Mayer - He said it was his worst fear growing up and he had attacks during his teen years.

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Jennifer Lawrence - She admitted to suffering panic attacks as a kid, especially in high school. The Daily Mail wrote that Jennifer felt it was a kind of social anxiety as parties and field trips scared her.

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Jennifer Lawrence -

She told Teen Vogue about a time when she was on an airplane and started having a claustrophobia-induced panic attack, feeling the need to get out.

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Emma Stone - Winner of an Oscar for her performance in 'La La Land,' Emma revealed to the Wall Street Journal that she suffered frequent panic attacks before becoming an actress.

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Emma Stone - She said these attacks were very serious, and spoke about how her first panic attack made her feel like the house was catching fire.

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Kendall Jenner - Kris Jenner revealed that her daughter struggles with anxiety, especially when it comes to fashion shows, according to the Daily Mail.

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Kendall Jenner - Kendall vented to her mom that a lot of events had affected her, such as the assault on her sister Kim when she was robbed and threatened by a gang in Paris.

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Elizabeth Olsen -

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Prince Harry - The Prince admitted to suffering from panic attacks after the death of his mother Princess Diana, to People.

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Prince Harry - He said he used to suffer from cold sweats and feel his heart beating quickly when he felt uncomfortable - for instance, when he was in a room with lots of people.

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Madonna - As reported by the Daily Mail in 2008, the Queen of Pop said that there are times when she feels invincible on stage, but sometimes she feels like she could just die.

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Madonna -

She admitted to suffering from panic attacks, and that she can't live up to people's expectations.

Getty Images

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Bella Hadid -

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Amanda Seyfried - In an interview with Glamour, the actress said she had made progress with therapy but still suffered from panic attacks.

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Amanda Seyfried -

The star admitted she became very nervous and worried she was over-thinking things. She says she worries about her parents and her dog a lot.

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Adele - The British superstar says she doesn't like touring as she feels vulnerable singing in front of thousands of people.

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Adele - According to the Daily Mail, she admitted to having anxiety attacks and feeling panicky onstage.

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Ellie Goulding - Ellie revealed to Metro UK that she goes to therapy to deal with panic attacks. She once was on the way to a funeral when she started having heart palpitations.

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Ellie Goulding - She thought she was having a heart attack and it was so bad she told another passenger she thought she was dying.

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Robbie Williams - In June 2017, the singer's wife revealed that he had a panic attack and had to be taken to hospital.

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Oprah Winfrey - Even the prestigious actress and TV host, to whom tribute was paid at the Golden Globes, has had panic attacks during long periods of work.

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Lena Dunham - She has spoken to The Guardian about her panic attacks, which kept her from sleeping.

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Stephen Amell - The Green Arrow took to his Facebook to talk about a panic attack he had in December 2017 during a trip to the French Polynesia.

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Stephen Amell - The star said he started having problems with heights during a zipline course. His hands were trembling, knees shaking and he was sweating more than usual.

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Caitlyn Jenner - Caitlyn suffered a panic attack after undergoing plastic surgery, as told by Vanity Fair.

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Caitlyn Jenner - She began questioning her choice to undergo surgery, but was calmed down by nurses.

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John Mayer - In an interview with Rolling Stone, John Mayer spoke of panics attacks he experienced, caused by an irrational fear of ending in a mental hospital.

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John Mayer - He said it was his worst fear growing up and he had attacks during his teen years.

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Jennifer Lawrence -

She told Teen Vogue about a time when she was on an airplane and started having a claustrophobia-induced panic attack, feeling the need to get out.

Getty Images

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Celebrities who have struggled with anxiety and panic attacks

Stars who have had to cope with anxiety

13/11/24 | StarsInsider

CELEBRITY Mental health

More and more celebs have opened up about their struggles with anxiety, and lots of them have even had debilitating panic attacks. When it comes down to it, the idols we see as unendingly confident and powerful are also just vulnerable human beings dealing with the same issues as the rest of us, only with millions of eyes watching their every move.

Check out this gallery and see the stars who have had to cope with anxiety.