Melody Thornton used breathing techniques to prevent herself from having panic attacks before skating on 'Dancing On Ice'.
Melody Thornton
The former Pussycat Doll star left the ITV show last Sunday (24.02.19) and she has now revealed that she struggled every week to control her anxiety as she has suffered from anxiety for years.
Speaking to The Daily Star newspaper, Melody said: "I had previously suffered from panic attacks for six years and it is always in the back of my mind that they could come back. They'd happen at concerts or when I was on a plane. All of my fingers would go stiff and I'd feel trapped in my body. While on 'Dancing on Ice' I did become nervous when there were moves in the routine that I didn't think I could do. With ice skating there isn't a Plan B. You have to follow the routine. That's scary."
Explaining the tools she used as a preventative measure, she added: "I had tools that I implemented to keep my mind in good shape. Now if I feel like I'm starting to panic, I have a routine that a paramedic taught me. One of the things I do is hold my breath. That helps balance my breathing and so helps me work my way out of it."
The 'Don't Cha' hitmaker narrowly missed out on a place in the semi-finals when the judges - Christopher Dean, Jayne Torvill, Jason Gardiner and Ashley Banjo - chose to save Saara Aalto in the skate-off.
Although Melody loved being part of the programme she was prepared to drop out if it began affecting her health.
She said: "And I always knew that if the show was affecting me mentally or making me sick I would have left. Nothing is worth compromising your happiness for."
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