‘State of Panic’: Carrie Bickmore opens up about mental health

Bickmore is one of Australia’s most prominent news personalities having hosted Channel 10’s ‘The Project’ for over a decade, and her current gig is the hit network’s hit show Carrie & Tommy .

Speaking to co-star Tommy Little last Tuesday, she bravely revealed to the audience that she has suffered from anxiety and panic attacks since she was around 20 years old.

“People have an idea of ​​what anxiety looks like and I think it’s very different for everyone, and often you wouldn’t know what’s going on in someone else because people know to hide it,” she said, crying.

“And I thought, hey, it would help if I could share some of the things that happened to me so that someone would feel less alone.

“Actually, it’s hard to explain how I felt. It was like shame, I think, (again) shame. I don’t think I understood exactly what was going on in my head. “I think talking about it almost made me feel more anxious, so I kept it in my head,” he added later.

The 43-year-old shared that he had recently seen footage of himself appearing on ‘Rove Live,’ a popular Australian television show of the 2000s, which sparked a backlash. .

“I just saw my vision on ‘Rove Live’ and all I could see was anxiety and I was in constant fear of that show,” she told Little.

“I saw that girl in a vision, and I wanted to reach out with the phone and hug her because I was like, oh my God, that was scary. However, I also remember it as an amazing part of my life and it is a trick with anxiety, it can play together at the same time.

“Every time I did my part in ‘Carrie on the News’ I was about to have a panic attack. In fact, every time I was on the air in any way on television and on the radio for a good ten years, I was about to have a panic attack.”

He then explained how he sometimes had the fear of panicking in the middle of a live segment, explaining that he would hide the symptoms by coughing, laughing or technical difficulties.

“I never knew when they were going to come, so I was always on the alert, like I thought someone was around,” he said.

Bickmore said he almost turned down the chance to work on ‘The Project’ because he was “scared of doing something new”.

“There were so many jobs at the time that I refused to do them, and I look back and think, my God, where would it have taken me? Great opportunities because I was worried that something would stop me and that I would be humiliated forever,” he admitted.

“But I also look back and think about other reasons, sometimes I like to lean on a challenge, and my brain says, ‘No, don’t let anxiety win, like you I did this.’ That’s why I believed in ‘Project’ and ended up doing it for 14 years.”

She revealed that she started getting professional help while she was pregnant with her daughter Evie, and described the effect as life-changing.

Bickmore later posted an episode of the show on his Instagram, sharing the revelation with his fans who flocked to the comments to wish the radio host well and thank him for speaking out.

“It is very important that we talk about this issue. You are brave and unique,” wrote celebrity chef Julie Goodwin.

“What a brave interview and it will help so many people. Well done,” said Dannii Minogue.

“Thank you Carrie for being honest, raw and real… I agree with Tommy you are brave and courageous,” one user said.