The topic of mental health has been in the spotlight this week after ABC star Nate Byrne suffered a panic attack on live TV.
The News Breakfast weather presenter was forced to halt his report in the middle of Tuesday morning’s broadcast after suffering a panic attack.
Following the on-air attack, Jackie O Henderson shared her own past struggles with the disorder.
Other high profile stars including Carrie Bickmore and Osher Günsberg have also admitted to their own private struggles with anxiety.
Women’s mental health organisation the Liptember Foundation revealed this week that a quarter of n women are likely living with a severe disorder – a figure that has remained constant since 2022.
The n Bureau Of Statistics’ National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing has also indicated that almost one in five males had a 12-month mental disorder in 2020-2022.
Celebrities are now impacting and inspiring more honest discussions about mental health and removing the stigma from these issues.
Here is a look at some n celebrities who have spoken up about their private mental health struggles.
Jackie ‘O’ Henderson revealed her own harrowing experience with panic attacks Wednesday morning after ABC star Nate Byrne suffered one on live TV
Jackie O Henderson
Jackie ‘O’ Henderson revealed her own harrowing experience with panic attacks on Wednesday morning.
The radio host, 49, expressed her deepest sympathies for ABC weather presenter Byrne when he experienced a bout of anxiety mid-report.
Sharing her own past struggles with the disorder, Jackie confessed she once had a bad drug experience which led to regular panic attacks for up to two years.
‘I used to get them. I don’t get them anymore, thank God. It’s the whole reason I don’t do drugs because it happened off the back of drugs,’ she said.
‘I got them for a year or two and I never said anything… I didn’t get them severely like other people get them, where you think you’re going to die.’
When co-host Kyle Sandilands asked how she got them, Jackie said: ‘Remember when I had that acid trip and weed on the same day [on the Gold Coast]?
‘From that it just spiralled and lasted two years.’
Beloved Aussie radio and TV star Carrie Bickmore broke down in tears this week after revealing a private 20-year struggle with anxiety and panic attacks
Carrie Bickmore
Beloved Aussie radio and TV star Carrie Bickmore broke down in tears this week after revealing a private 20-year struggle with anxiety and panic attacks.
The heartbreaking admission from the blonde radio star, 43, came during a candid discussion with Tommy Little, 39, on their Carrie and Tommy Hit Network show.
‘I’ve suffered from anxiety and panic attacks since I was about 20,’ Carrie admitted to her co-host.
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ABC star suffers crippling panic attack on live TV and is forced to walk off camera
‘A lot of the time it makes me extremely uncomfortable,’ Carrie replied.
‘It’s hard, actually, to describe what I felt. It was like shame, I think, [and] embarrassment.’
‘I don’t think I really fully understood what was going on in my own head. I think talking about it almost made me feel more anxious, so I just kept it in my own head,’ she added.
Carrie was then moved to tears as she recounted watching old footage of herself on Rove McManus’ Rove Live, admitting that she was in a ‘permanent state of panic’ during her time on the hit Network Ten show from 2006 to 2009.
‘I just saw in the vision of me on Rove Live, all I could see was anxiety and I was just permanently in a state of panic on that show,’ Carrie tearfully revealed.
‘I saw that girl in the vision, and I just wanted to reach through the phone and hug her because I was like, “Oh my God, that was terrifying”. Yet, I also remember it as being such an awesome part of my life. And that’s the trickiness with anxiety.’
ABC News Breakfast weather presenter Nate Byrne was forced to halt his report in the middle of Tuesday morning’s broadcast after suffering a panic attack live on-air
Nate Byrne
ABC News Breakfast weather presenter Byrne was forced to halt his report in the middle of Tuesday morning’s broadcast after suffering a panic attack live on-air.
Byrne cut short his broadcast just before 6.30am, telling viewers ‘I’m going to need to stop for a second’.
Voice quivering, he told viewers: ‘Some of you may know that I occasionally get affected by some panic attacks, and actually that’s happening right now.
‘Lisa (Millar), maybe I could hand back to you.’
Co-host Millar quickly took over the broadcast while Byrne recovered off camera.
Byrne has spoken openly about his struggles with anxiety – publishing an article in 2022 where he documented his experiences of on-air panic attacks.
The weather presenter was later welcomed back to the show and apologised for stepping out.
‘Sorry if I gave anybody a bit of a scare,’ he said.
The Bachelor host Osher Günsberg has spoken frequently about his struggles with mental health after suffering from anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder
Osher Günsberg
The Bachelor host Osher Günsberg has spoken frequently about his struggles with mental health.
The 50-year-old previously revealed he suffers from anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder.
In 2018, Osher’s wife Audrey Griffin appeared on his podcast Better Than Yesterday and revealed that even sunshine would send the TV personality into a panic.
‘I remember those days. I remember when if we walked outside and the sun was shining and you felt warmth on your skin, you’d hit the fear button,’ Audrey said in a clip from the episode, which Osher shared to Instagram.
She went on: ‘It would be intense and it would be hard to talk you back into the room. And you would retreat yourself’.
Audrey said that she pushed hard to reach the man she loved when he was having an episode, which Osher described as ‘being gone for hours’.
‘I don’t know if I did the right hing but I used to just bully my way back into your space and try and bring you back,’ Audrey said.
‘I’m a make up artist, I’m not a trained professional. But I could see you could see that it was going to be hard for you to come out on your own’.
Osher replied: ‘I’m bloody grateful you did because I wouldn’t be able to do it by myself’ to which Audrey gently said, ‘Sometimes we can’t do things by ourselves’.
Jesinta Franklin revealed in 2018 that she suffers from anxiety so severe it once stopped her leaving her house
Jesinta Franklin
Jesinta Franklin revealed in 2018 that she suffers from anxiety so severe it once stopped her leaving her house.
The 33-year-old said her mental health battles began when she won Miss Universe in 2010.
‘It was just so overwhelming. There were days where it was really hard for me to go outside because I felt like everyone was looking at me,’ the model told Marie Claire.
‘A few years ago, I was lying in bed and I felt like I couldn’t breathe, and that my chest was caving in,’ she added.
After seeing a doctor the beauty was diagnosed with anxiety, and now sees a healthcare professional to help treat it.
She also finds comfort in husband Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin who has suffered from mental health issues himself.
‘My husband can sense when I’m anxious and helps me through it. He has been through his own battles with mental health, and I think it’s nice that we can talk about it together,’ she told the publication.
Sam Frost has spoken bravely about her mental health struggles after appearing on The Bachelor in 2014
Sam Frost
Sam Frost has spoken bravely about her mental health struggles in recent years, after rising to fame as a contestant on The Bachelor in 2014.
The 35-year-old has been particularly candid about her battle with anxiety, which she again discussed on Channel Seven’s The Morning Show in 2018.
The Home and Away star revealed that panic attacks can strike unexpectedly, like when she is going to the gym.
‘It is just things like going to the gym. I can have a little freak out and burst into tears – I don’t even know what is so scary about it,’ she said.
The former 2Day FM radio host added that she sometimes becomes so crippled with anxiety that she has to leave.
Sam explained that managing her anxiety is something she is getting better at because her psychologist has taught her several helpful techniques.
Speaking to the Life Uncut podcast in June this year, Sam again delved into her experiences with depression and anxiety, revealing the profound impact of her television stint and the transformative power of motherhood.
‘I’ve grown up struggling with depression and anxiety and it was conversations that weren’t being had when I was a teenager,’ she explained.
‘I genuinely thought something was wrong with my brain. I hated myself, I hated my brain, I hated the way I looked, I hated my thoughts, I hated everything about who I was.’
Despite these hardships, Sam’s tone shifted as she spoke about the transformative impact of becoming a mother to son Theodore with beau Jordie Hansen.
Celebrity chef Manu Feildel candidly opened up about his private mental health struggle in July
Manu Feildel
Manu Feildel candidly opened up about his private mental health struggle in July.
The My Kitchen Rules judge and celebrity chef addressed his personal experience with stress and anxiety and the methods he uses to ease his symptoms.
In an Instagram post, the 50-year-old French-n restaurateur said he goes swimming in an ocean pool almost every morning as the sun rises.
‘I do not share too much of my private life on my social media the last couple of years but today I felt like sharing my experience,’ he began.
‘I believe that most of us suffer from some type of stress, anxiety or even some mental breakdowns at time and trust me, I am not any different. I believe I found my medicine.
‘Since the beginning of the year I’ve been swimming in the ocean pool nearly every mornings and it’s changed my life in many ways. It’s nothing spiritual but just simply revitalising. It clears my mind from any negativity and kick start my day in a great mood. It’s giving me more energy and more focus.’
‘Anyway I just thought if I can help someone finding a solution to their battles, try that,’ he suggested.
Manu was inundated with warm messages of encouragement from his friends in the comments.
If you or anyone you know needs immediate support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or via lifeline.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.