'I Was Afraid To Die': Celebrities Who Are Vocal About Their Panic Attacks

Based on 2007 data from the National Comorbidity Survey, nearly 3% of people in the United States have a panic disorder. Among the signature side effects of panic disorders are panic attacks — which some of Hollywood's biggest and most well-known stars have experienced.

When a panic attack strikes, it usually gives little warning, and is accompanied by highly unpleasant physical sensations. So, what does it feel like when you have a panic attack? From a racing heart to severe nausea, the symptoms often mimic some of the hallmark indicators of a heart attack. Given these facts, it's no wonder people who experience panic attacks constantly worry when the next one will occur. 

Some celebrities have been vocal about their struggles with panic attacks, sharing their personal stories in interviews. By talking about their panic attack experiences, these stars are showing just how widespread panic disorders can be. At the same time, they're also helping to bring panic disorder diagnosis and treatment into the spotlight.

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

In a 2026 Variety interview, actor Léa Seydoux acknowledged that her first panic attacks started when she was 18 and have continued throughout her life. "I remember having a panic attack: I watched myself in the mirror, and I was like, This is me," she described. Seydoux even admitted to I-D that she thought she "was afraid to die" when she was younger, perhaps because of her high levels of anxiety.

Seydoux hasn't discussed whether or not she is getting treated for her panic attacks. However, she did mention to Toronto.com that she took Xanax to ease the scariness of traveling by plane. Xanax is frequently prescribed to treat anxiety-related physical and psychological responses.

Although comedian and commentator Stephen Colbert might be known for his wit, he's one of numerous celebrities who deal with anxiety disorders. And his panic attacks haven't been fun or funny. In a 2018 Rolling Stone interview, Colbert admitted, "I had a bit of a nervous breakdown after I got married — kind of panic attacks." He described days filled with literally walking in circles around his living room furniture. Colbert tried Xanax for a few days, but ultimately found that he could alleviate his panic attacks through performing. "Creating something is what helped me from just spinning apart like an unweighted flywheel," he noted.

When singer Adele went through a divorce, she told Oprah that she began having "the most terrifying anxiety attacks" that left her both confused and paralyzed (via Prevention). In describing how the panic attacks felt, she noted that it seemed like she was on a different planet.

To minimize her panic attacks, she began exercising more often. (Check out Adele's head-turning weight loss transformation.) "I didn't have any anxiety when I was out at the gym," she said. A 2026 study in Frontiers in Psychiatry found that 12 weeks of regular exercise reduced the number and intensity of anxiety attacks in adults. 

TV host Carson Daly spoke openly about his panic attacks to support World Mental Health Day in 2023. Per NBC, Daly's first panic attack happened in his dressing room: "My heart started to race and fear went through my body." Afterward, Daly spoke with a doctor, who diagnosed him as having anxiety.

In an Instagram video, Daly went into explicit detail about how he dealt with a moment of panic while he was on air. "Fight or flight kicks in," he said. "The threat is real, but there's nothing there. I have to just ride that wave on live TV."

Years ago, singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding had panic attacks that were so intense she had trouble leaving the house, according to a 2016 Flare interview (via Time Magazine). Explained Goulding, "My surroundings would trigger a panic attack, so I couldn't go to the studio unless I was lying down in the car with a pillow over my face."

Though Goulding initially thought it was her fault that she couldn't get past her panic attacks on her own, she eventually sought professional help. The singer turned to cognitive behavioral therapy, a common psychological treatment for panic disorders. She also reportedly uses exercise as another way to cope (via People).

A successful acting career couldn't keep Hugh Grant from being overwhelmed by anxiety attacks. "I got these absurd stage-fright attacks," he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2016. "They would just hit me in the middle of a film and they would only last a morning or something, but it was devastating."

To cope, Grant decided to quit acting. After several years, he was asked to be in a film he couldn't resist, so he began a routine to ward off attacks: "Day after day, you know, 'I better go for a run this morning' and 'I better take these herbal calmers now,'" he recalled, calling his regimen a "hassle" that was worth it in the end.

When actor Emma Stone was seven, she had a panic attack while at a friend's house. "I had this deep, knowing the house was on fire ... despite all evidence to the contrary," she shared (via NPR). She then experienced classic anxiety attack symptoms, including a tight chest and generalized fear. 

After the incident, she stopped wanting to go outside until she got therapy. Speaking to the Child Mind Institute, Stone acknowledged that before her acting career, "there weren't a lot of actors who spoke about having panic attacks" (via E! Online). Nowadays, her outlook has changed: "If you don't let [anxiety] cripple you and use it for something productive, it's like a superpower" (via ABC News).