Shona McGarty has revealed she actually suffered quite a bit with her anxiety during I’m A Celebrity. So much so, that in scenes that didn’t make it onto TV, she actually had a panic attack.
I’m A Celebrity may be over, but the gossip from the campmates just keeps on coming. Before going into the jungle, Shona – who struck up a close friendship with Aitch – had spoken out about her own anxiety struggles.
While she may have appeared calm and collected every time we saw her on our screens, the ex-EastEnders actress has revealed that wasn’t always the case.
Shona reveals I’m A Celebrity panic attack
Speaking on Loose Women today (December 23) Shona admitted that being in the I’m A Celebrity jungle actually helped her anxiety.
She said: “For people that don’t really understand anxiety, from the outside looking in, they must think ‘why did she do that’. And I understand that, because that is kind of how it felt. But it got easier.”
But that’s when Shona was asked about the “panic attack” she had, which wasn’t actually shown on TV.
Shona explained: “Yeah, so I was on the way to the trial. It was the first live trial. I just got in my own head about it. So, I had a bit of a panic.”
When she was asked how she managed to get through it without her family members, Shona admitted it was actually because of her I’m A Celebrity campmate Eddie Kadi.
She revealed: “It was actually Eddie. He was amazing. He really helped me. And just sat beside me and was just squeezing me. But then, you just have to throw yourself back into it.”
Shona went on to explain she “feels stronger” in herself, now that she has done the jungle.
“I’m trying to do more things that scare me. I think that’s what helps”, she explained.
Shona bonded with Ruby Wax over anxiety struggles
Shona went on to reveal she bonded with Ruby Wax because of their shared anxiety experiences.
She admitted in other “unaired scenes” she and Ruby often spoke about how they were feeling, and relied on each other throughout.
Shona told the Loose Women panel: “She is just so lovely. And she has openly shared about mental health and things. We had a lot of little chats in the morning. It was off-camera, they didn’t air it.
“But she would be like ‘I’m feeling very anxious today’ and I would say ‘yeah me too’. It was nice to have that someone who understands it.”
Read more: I’m A Celebrity’s Shona McGarty comment over Aitch relationship ‘annoys’ rapper, fans say
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