STAR'S BATTLE
Miranda Hart in ‘brain detox’ experiment to beat crippling anxiety attacks that have dogged her career
The Call The Midwife star, 45, is joining the research as part of a BBC documentary exploring her mental health battle
COMIC Miranda Hart will have a 21-day “brain detox” in an attempt to cure the crippling anxiety that has dogged her career.
The Call The Midwife star, 45, is joining the experiment as part of a BBC documentary exploring her mental health battle.
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The detox is said to help the anxious “rewire their brains and overcome toxic thoughts”.
Miranda pulled out of several West End performances of Annie last year after falling ill with a mystery illness.
She also cancelled appearances in Call The Midwife, a Beeb remake of Up Pompeii and the Royal Variety Performance.
The actress described her acute anxiety as “like wading through treacle” in her 2016 book Miranda’s Daily Dose Of Such Fun. She said she has even had trouble walking to a post- box, “such was the extreme level of fear in my body”.
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Miranda revealed she went into a rage “simply because I couldn’t find a biro”. She said: “It’s easy to spiral into seeing just the negative around us and then simply not smiling.”
She has also suffered from agoraphobia in the past.
Miranda once said: “I thought the world was a bit scary.
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“Some people get depressed for six months then pull themselves together.
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“I just hid in a room in the house and didn’t really go out. It was my blip.
“I think I’ll always be a slightly anxious person. It’s just bad genes, bad luck really. I’ll always have to force myself to see the positive, because I’m wired badly.
“I’m just naturally a bit under, a bit depressed.”
IT CAN BE HELL
I WELCOME the fact Miranda is coming to grips with her anxiety.
Having a problem like this goes far beyond a few pre-exam butterflies in the stomach — we all get that.
In generalised anxiety disorder, symptoms can appear seemingly out of the blue and include racing pulse, rapid breathing, clammy hands, dizziness, and even a full-on panic attack. Some find living with anxiety very disabling, interfering with their work and personal life. Psychological treatments and some SSRI drugs can help.
By Carol Cooper, Sun Doctor
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