If you’ve ever had a panic attack you’ll know how horrible and frightening they are.
Your skin goes prickly, your fingers go cold, you lose your breath and your heart is racing.
Now we know Robbie Williams is still suffering from these often uncontrollable bouts of extreme anxiety.
To put it simply, people having panic attacks feel like they might be about to die any second and their whole body is filled with adrenaline so it seems impossible to make yourself calm down.
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Ayda Field says she recently had to take Robbie to hospital because his panic attack was so serious.
A panic attack makes you want to run away and hide but you can’t and many people have to practise special techniques to try and control them, such as deep breathing and daily meditation.
In extreme and rare cases, people can become so choked and panicked, a trip to A&E is necessary, so it sounds like Robbie is really suffering.
It’s not the first time he’s been hit by waves of extreme nerves. The Millennium singer has battled anxiety throughout his career.
It comes as a surprise to anyone who’s seen the Angels superstar swaggering and mic-flipping his way around the stage in front of countless thousands of adoring fans.
And remember Take That Robbie? He was the cheekiest, most confident one of all.
It just goes to show you can’t judge a book by its cover. Often the most confident-looking performers are the most nervous. Elton John gets serious stage-fright and Beyonce famously has to channel her alter-ego Sasha Fierce to perform her tracks.
Ayda has now confessed that Robbie recently suffered an attack so bad he couldn’t even move.
Speaking on Loose Women, she said: “I know Rob has suffered from anxiety, and he had something recently which I believe was a panic attack.
“He was lying on the couch and he couldn’t move.
“There’s no explanation of what a panic attack is, but his arm went limp.
“I ended up taking him to A&E.”
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Panic attacks are often caused by tiredness, lifestyle, uncertainty in the future and, of course, worry.
Ayda says she also had a similar attack when she was told her father had died suddenly from a heart attack.
She said: “When my father passed away, I don’t know whether it was a panic attack, but I couldn’t breathe and the room was spinning.”