Samia Longchambon has revealed that she struggled to eat while training for Dancing On Ice because she struggled with crippling anxiety.
The 38-year-old Coronation Street star, who married her skating partner Sylvian in 2016, opened up about weighing just seven stone when she competed on the show in 2013.
Speaking on The Capsule in Conversation podcast, the mum of two explained that her skating partner would often try to give her sugary treats in order to help as she struggled with her nerves.
“My first week of Dancing on Ice, I weighed just under seven stone. I couldn’t eat anything," she said on the podcast.
"Sylvain was giving me doughnuts for a bit of sugar because my anxiety was so bad.
She added: "I couldn’t sleep, I was running on empty for the first couple of weeks because I was so nervous."
During her time on the ITV competition, Samia suffered from a concussion before being eliminated in week eight of the show.
Reflecting on what advice she would give listeners that were struggling with anxiety, she said: “Don’t worry so much, chill out. I’ve spent my whole life worrying, I had anxiety from being a child, literally born worrying.”
Samia has been very open about her struggles with anxiety and revealed in the past that she even suffered from panic attacks.
The actress, best known for playing Corrie's Maria Connor, revealed in a previous interview that she had even sought professional help to get through some of her most difficult moments.
“Obviously I went to the doctors when I was 11 with it. I’ve never spoken about it before but I have had different forms of therapy over the years,” she told The Mirror in 2019.
She has also credited her husband Sylvian as well as revealing that she had turned her focus to yoga in recent years to help keep her worries at ease.
*If you are struggling with mental health, you can speak to a trained advisor from Mind mental health charity on 0300 123 3393 or email info@mind.org.uk
