Little Mix star Perrie Edwards battled terrifying panic attacks that left her feeling "alone and scared".
The singer took to Instagram on Wednesday (17Apr19) to share a lengthy post with fans, in which she revealed the frightening episodes felt like a "heart attack".
"Over the past few years I have suffered really badly with anxiety and panic attacks," she wrote. "When I first started to feel the effects of anxiety I thought I was losing my mind and it terrified me. I felt so alone and like I was the first person in the world to ever experience it."
Edwards detailed her first bout with anxiety and the confusion she faced, explaining the experience was "so intense and overwhelming" she felt like she was "having a heart attack".
"I was so scared and confused and had no idea what was happening to me," she shared, adding, "it soon spiralled and I found myself in a really dark place, feeling alone and scared”.
She added, "I had people around me but I couldn’t explain to them what was happening to me or why. It affected me so badly that I didn’t even want to leave the house. I would step foot out the door and feel the overwhelming need to go straight back inside. It completely took over my life."
The 25 year old also explained that while she no longer grapples with physical she will always deal with anxiety in some form.
"I’ve had a relationship with my mind for 25 years now, so to feel it working against me sometimes makes me feel like a prisoner in my own head,” she noted. “It feels like the most unnatural thing in the world but the thing that helped me the most was discovering I’m not alone. I’m not the only person going through this. There are people all over the world feeling the exact same way I do."
The Shout Out To My Ex hitmaker also wants to help others struggling with similar mental health issues: "I don’t want to hide it anymore. I suffer from anxiety and I want you to all know if you suffer from anxiety you’re not alone."
