Susannah Constantine used to pray for her car to be driven into by a lorry.

Susannah Constantine

Susannah Constantine

The 57-year-old TV presenter has battled anxiety for 30 years, and still suffers from feelings of unease, but at its worst she used to think about huge vehicles smashing into her motor while she was inside.

Speaking on 'This Morning', she said: "I would pray that my car would be driven into by a lorry or something, so that I could put an end to it all.

"But it was just a thought that flashed through my mind ... I say that.

"I woke up this morning with that snowball in my stomach. It's now starting to melt.

"Usually by 11am, 12pm its gone and I'm OK."

The fashion guru admitted the condition makes her feel lonely and she first noticed her symptoms as a child.

She said: "I would wake up as a child every morning drenched in sweat.

"My mother was manic-depressive and I guess I would wake up every morning scared of how she would be today.

"There was that feeling of uncertainty. Was I going to be abandoned to her illness that day? So I think it stems from that."

The former 'Strictly Come Dancing' contestant rarely ever shared her intense feelings with friends or family, admitting it was a "very personal thing".

She said: "I now look at it as a haunting. I look at it as the ghost of anxiety has come to visit me and it's going to pass.

"So, intellectually, I know it's not going to stay with me ... I use it as a motivator now."


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