Perrie Edwards reveals anxiety battle left her with a 'fear of being alone'

Perrie Edwards has revealed she “developed a fear of being on her own” when she was at the height of her anxiety battle.

Last month, the Little Mix singer opened up about her “really bad” anxiety and how it “took control of her life” before she started to talk about it and “work out coping mechanisms and triggers”.

In her first interview since the candid post, Edwards explained the extent of her crippling anxiety and said it got to the point she didn’t want to be alone in fear of a panic attack.

“Weirdly when I first started experiencing the panic attacks, I developed a fear of being on my own. It’s a lot better than it was, I kept thinking, 'if I’m on my own and I have a panic attack, what do I do?',” she told Glamour UK.

Group: Perrie Edwards shot to fame as part of Little Mix (PA)

“It got to the point where my mum was coming to the studio with me, she would drive to work with me because I couldn’t get in a car on my own.”

Edwards, 25, told the publication that she “still can’t get the train on her own”, which has had an impact on going to see footballer boyfriend Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in Manchester.

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I’d like to open up about something. Venting your feelings is healthy and I want to be honest with you all. Over the past few years I have suffered really badly with anxiety and panic attacks. When I first started to feel the effects of anxiety I thought I was losing my mind and it terrified me. I felt so alone and like I was the first person in the world to ever experience it. - The first panic attack was so intense and overwhelming I felt like I was having a heart attack, I was so scared and confused and had no idea what was happening to me. I’m not sure what triggered that first one but it soon spiralled & I found myself in a really dark place, feeling alone and scared. I had people around me but I couldn’t explain to them what was happening to me or why. It affected me so badly that I didn’t even want to leave the house. I would step foot out the door and feel the overwhelming need to go straight back inside. It completely took over my life. - I’m happy to say that the physical attacks have stopped but unfortunately the anxiety still lives on. The reality is it probably always will. - I’ve had a relationship with my mind for 25 years now, so to feel it working against me sometimes makes me feel like a prisoner in my own head. It feels like the most unnatural thing in the world but the thing that helped me the most was discovering I’m not alone. I’m not the only person going through this. There are people all over the world feeling the exact same way I do! As soon as I realised I wasn’t going insane I felt more eager to beat it. I had therapy and I surround myself with my loved ones. Talking to someone relieves you of SO MUCH STRESS. I worked out coping mechanism’s and learned what the triggers are so that I can fight the attacks before they take hold. I restricted my time on social media which often made me feel trapped and claustrophobic. I took control of my life and accepted what I couldn’t control. - I don’t want to hide it anymore. I suffer from anxiety and I want you to all know if you suffer from anxiety you’re not alone ♥️

A post shared by Perrie Edwards ✌️🌻 (@perrieedwards) on Apr 17, 2019 at 8:55am PDT

She said: “I still can’t get the train on my own, it freaks me out and makes me feel really claustrophobic. I feel uneasy.

“I wouldn’t be able to get a train and go somewhere on my own, I cannot do that anymore, it freaks me out.”

Couple: Perrie Edwards and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (SplashNews.com)

But Edwards also revealed things are improving after her cousin and best friend moved in with her, comparing the process of being able to go out again to “learning to walk”.

“She can go out with her friends and I’m alright on my own,” Edwards said. “It sounds ridiculous but it was like I needed to be babysat for a long time. I still struggle now.”

Edwards was last month hailed as a “perfect role model” by fans for her candid Instagram post, detailing her struggles with anxiety and mental health as they rushed to support her.