Jack Maynard “struggled immensely with anxiety and panic attacks” almost two years after his dramatic I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! exit in 2017.
The YouTuber, who has since returned to our screens in the latest edition of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, has revealed the saga eventually led to a therapist diagnosing him with post-traumatic stress disorder
Maynard pulled out of I’m a Celebrity three days into the series when offensive tweets, dating back to when the reality TV star was a teenager, emerged.
Speaking to the Evening Standard, the 25-year-old explained: “It was very strange – the six months leading up to the [Celebrity SAS], I was struggling immensely with anxiety and panic attacks. I really wasn’t sure what it was, and I don’t know what was happening and why.
“I was seeing a therapist to see what it was and make myself feel better and she came to the conclusion that it was PTSD from my I’m a Celebrity experience.”
It was Maynard’s struggle with his mental health that pushed him to take part in the gruelling Celebrity SAS.
“I wanted to get on there and deal with it properly,” he said. “I obviously knew it was going to come up.
“I was happy to talk about it. I had nothing to hide, I hold my hands up about the whole thing.
“I had incredible anxiety throughout the whole show. I thought I cant do this and I just doubted myself so much. Every time I finished a task, I was like ‘Oh - I can do it. What was I thinking? Why did I doubt myself so much?
“It was never about proving my physical fitness – it was about going on there and showing that even when I’m at my absolute worse, I can still get myself through.
“That’s where I was struggling the most during day to day life, with work. I didn’t want to do the task that was put in front of me because I was down or whatever.
“And I left thinking if I could be at my absolute worse and take on John Fashanu, I can do anything.”
With one of television’s toughest shows under his belt, Maynard now feels more comfortable about returning to do more television work in the future.
“Getting kind words from Mark Billingham and Jason Fox, to talk about it and say it’s time to move on and step up, be a man and get past this whole thing. To get words of encouragement from people like them was so helpful.
“Going on the show helped me so much, it was such a life-changing experience. I’m very happy I did go on there in the end.
“Once lockdown is done is getting myself back on TV as much as possible so people can see the real Jack – though next time I’d pick an easier show.”
Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins continues Mondays at 9pm on Channel 4.
