TV agony aunt on battle with anxiety
This Morning’s agony aunt battled back from a severe bout of anxiety and depression and is releasing a self-help book which she hopes will help fellow sufferers
LOOKING at her as she laughs and chats on screen, you might think TV presenter Anna Williamson is living a charmed and carefree life.
But off-screen, the reality is quite different as the This Morning agony aunt has been fighting an 11-year battle with crippling anxiety and depression.
Rather than hide her problems, Anna, 34, has dedicated her life to helping raise awareness of mental illness and encouraging others to pluck up the courage to seek help.
This week the mum of one – who found fame, aged 16, in girl band Blush – will publish her first self-help guide for fellow sufferers.
Anna, who is a qualified therapist, says Breaking Mad: The Insider’s Guide to Conquering Anxiety, is her kick-ass manual to getting one over on anxiety.
She said: “The book is a friendly guide to help you through the worst of times, written by someone who has been there, got the T-shirt and now works as a therapist.
“I wanted to cover everything from recognising and dealing with the first warning signs of anxiety to coping with a panic attack.
“Breaking Mad is like having a therapist in your pocket who is offering simple, straightforward guidance whenever and wherever you might need it – at home, on the bus, at college, before a meeting or when you’re having a meltdown in the loos at work, which I have done on more than one occasion.
“Mental illness is still stigmatised and the book is my way of tackling anxiety head-on, which I found was the only way I could deal with and conquer my own problems.”
Anna, who has a four-month-old son Enzo with her personal trainer husband Alex di Pasquale, suffered her first emotional breakdown in 2006 when she was a children’s presenter on ITV show Toonattik. She said: “The anxiety started as I was in a toxic relationship, coping with the pressures of presenting a kids’ TV show and trying to please everyone.
“Stress and anxiety will always find a way to come out of the body and with me it was panic attacks.
“The first came on in the middle of the night. It was the most petrifying experience ever. I remember an overwhelming sense of fear and dread that felt like it was suffocating me.
“It really felt as if I was losing my mind. I felt exposed, vulnerable and as if everyone was looking at me. I was dizzy and out of breath.”
Anna, who starred on diving show Splash! in 2014, added: “I suffered in silence for six months until I turned up for work one day physically and emotionally exhausted.
“Suddenly I felt a friend’s hand on my shoulder who said, ‘Anna, are you OK?’ I burst into tears and didn’t stop for four hours. That was when I told someone I wasn’t well and needed help.
“After I said it, I felt like a huge weight had been lifted.”
Anna saw her GP, who prescribed a course of Xanax, an anti-anxiety medication that shut down the overactive part of her brain.
A psychiatrist helped her with relaxation and stress-busting techniques and she ended the stressful relationship she was in. Spurred on by talking therapy, Anna now volunteers at children’s charity ChildLine and is an ambassador for Mind and The Prince’s Trust.
The presenter, who lives in Hertfordshire and recently appeared on Channel 5’s Big Brother’s Bit on the Side, said: “There is still a huge stigma surrounding mental health as others can’t see any injury.
“At the depth of my anxiety and depression, I couldn’t leave my house or talk to anyone but my life started to get better after I realised I no longer had to suffer in silence.
“I’m hoping my book will help other people realise they don’t have to either.”
Anna added: “Life is good for me. I’ve got the most beautiful baby and an incredible husband.
“Becoming a mum didn’t come as naturally as I thought it would. It was a traumatic birth and a week later, I developed post-traumatic stress disorder. But I was able to get my anxiety under control.
“I know my anxiety will never disappear completely. Everyone experiences anxiety on some level every day of the week. It’s how you deal with it that makes the difference.”
Stress and anxiety will find a way to come out of the body – with me it was panic attacks