Stacey Solomon broke down in tears on today’s episode of Loose Women, as she discussed her phobia of death, in a segment with hypnotist Paul McKenna.
She admitted that her intense fear left her feeling guilty, as compared to many people, she lives with a lot of privilege.
“It does make me uncomfortable to be talking about it,” she said.
She opened up about the way her phobia made her feel, saying: “I felt very fragile and I felt like there was nothing safe.”
She had undergone therapy with hypnotist and author, Paul, who then joined the Loose Women panel to discuss how phobias can affect people’s lives.
“I’ve been working with Stacey all day,” he said, claiming that she was suffering from the combined effects of two disorders. He said she had a “phobia mixed in with some obsessive compulsive disorder”.
“What’s happened is Stacey’s compulsiveness has overlapped with her health,” he continued. “She is catastrophising – she’s over-protecting herself.”
In a clip taken during Paul’s session with Stacey, he asked the singer what her most prominent fears were.
“Not being around for my children,” she said, breaking down in tears, and saying she was afraid of developing cancer.
Speaking in the studio, with the rest of the panel, Stacey seemed close to tears again, and asked Paul if there was a chance she would be able to move past her fears.
Paul confirmed that phobias like Stacey’s can take a long time to recover from – with sustained counselling and treatment.
Thanatophobia – the fear of death or dying – involves intense feelings of anxiety or dread when a person is confronted with death-related thoughts.
It has been found in children as young as five, but most commonly presents between the ages of 20 and 40. It can increase in intensity as a sufferer gets older, but tends to subside in patients older than 65.