Emmerdale star Paige Sandhu has revealed she is actually “grateful” for her crippling anxiety battle.
The Meena Jutla star, 24, developed anxiety towards the end of her studies at London’s Guildhall School of Music & Drama.
It got so bad at points it left her unable to leave the house.
‘Grateful’ for her battle
Speaking on Lorraine on Thursday April 14, Paige told stand-in host Christine Lampard her battle with anxiety had actually left her more able to cope.
“I feel like I’m grateful for those times when I did struggle with anxiety because it really taught me to take care of myself and that I need to take care of my mental health and my emotional health to do my job well,” she said.
“So now I have a few ways of coping. I know what to do if I am ever feeling anxious and it just makes everything a lot better.
Paige’s struggle
The actress opened up about her struggle earlier this year in an interview with Fabulous.
She said: “I felt unsafe a lot. Not like someone was going to attack me. I just didn’t feel comfortable, especially around people that I didn’t know.
“It was probably social anxiety, fear of judgement and fear about the future.
Read more: Complete Emmerdale cast list 2022 – meet them all here!
“When I left drama school, I moved back with my family and I became quite reclusive.
“I didn’t leave the house a lot, I had terrible insomnia and suffered from food allergies and intolerances.”
However with fame beckoning, Paige developed coping mechanisms that help her to this day.
Emmerdale star Paige Sandhu teases the end
She explained: “I read self-help books, had therapy and went to a nutritionist.
“I found it really helpful, especially when I was in the thick of anxiety.”
Sadly for Emmerdale fans, Paige will soon leave the soap as Meena Jutla gets her comeuppance.
However Paige has promised the ending will leave viewers delighted.
She told ED! and other media: “The ending’s incredible, better than I could ever have imagined, and I have already started crying.
Read more: Emmerdale: Top theories for how Andrea Tate could return
“[Meena] is a psychopath and believes nobody will ever get the better of her. Psychopaths are incapable of feeling fear like we can.”
Emmerdale usually airs weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV, with an extra episode at 8pm on Thursdays.
Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think!