Olly Murs turned to therapy after 'overwhelming' panic attack made him forget lyrics to own song

The singer revealed that the backlash to his 2015 X Factor gig had knocked his confidence
Opening up: Olly Murs has spoke out about his battle with anxiety
Tommy Jackson/Getty Images
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Olly Murs has opened up about undergoing therapy for anxiety after a panic attack left him struggling to breathe on The Graham Norton Show.

The singer revealed that his “heart was pounding” and he felt a “genuine panic” which prompted him to forget his song lyrics ahead of his performance on the chat show.

“My heart was pounding and I couldn’t breathe,” he told the Mirror.

“I’m standing behind the mic and I’m talking trying to calm myself down, thinking: ‘What’s going on? I’ve never ever been like this.' It was genuine panic.

Overwhelmed: Murs revealed that his The Voice hosting gig had also prompted feelings of anxiety
PA

“I was looking at my mum and dad in the audience and trying to focus, despite the fact I’d just forgotten my lyrics. It was just a routine performance but I didn’t know what was going on.”

Murs, 34, revealed that he had also felt overwhelmed by panic when he learned that he had earned a place on The Voice’s judging panel.

“I’ll never forget, I was driving back from Braintree to Witham, in Essex, just waiting for a call from my management to say if I’d got The Voice,” he recalled.

“As soon as they told me I’d got it, my friend with me was so excited for me. He was like: ‘You’re doing The Voice. This is huge.’

Speaking out: Murs wants more men to open up about their mental health
AFP/Getty Images

“I was like, ‘Yeah, it is.’ Then I just had this sudden, overwhelming panic. Whether it was anxiety or depression, I was like: ‘I don’t think I can do this.’”

He said that after trying to “piece it together” by himself, he decided that he needed to seek help.

“I tried to piece it together myself but I couldn’t. It made me feel down and I said, ‘I need to go and see someone about this,’” he told the paper.

Murs said that the therapy sessions helped him understand how criticism of his 2015 stint as X Factor co-host had affected his confidence.

“It was the idea of going on TV again, maybe making a mistake and being put in the spotlight again with people saying negative things about me,” he said.

“I’ve only ever had a career that’s been so positive. And when you get that little bit of negativity, it hurts.”

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