8 Celebrities Who Have Opened Up About Dealing With Debilitating Anxiety

Anxiety is commonplace. According to studies, a significant percentage of the population suffers from anxiety, making it one of the commonest mental disorders in the world.

From seemingly small habits like fidgeting and nail-biting to violent panic attacks and loneliness, anxiety can take various forms with varying severity. 

Hollywood stars aren't exempt from anxiety disorders. Many famous faces have battled with mental health issues. For them, it becomes harder to navigate as they are in the public eye. 

Thankfully, mental health issues have become a widely discussed topic, especially with more stars coming out in recent years to talk about their anxiety struggles, hereby changing the narrative surrounding mental illnesses.

From Nicki Minaj to Oliver Hudson to Camila Cabello to Kristen Bell, Hollywood's biggest names have been more vocal about their anxiety and have helped viewers and fans know that they are not alone.

Like many of us, the Barb Queen has been through several tough times. While fans might see a successful and glamorous rapper, Nick Minaj has been privately battling with some of her mental health struggles.

 On Thursday, the "Starships" artist opened up on how being criticized for her every move made her anxious.

"I think when I was younger, probably, my natural state was to be more confident," Minaj explained on "Carpool Karaoke" with host James Corden. "But I think when you're a woman and you're in the public eye all the time, if you're not careful, you can become less confident because you're being constantly scrutinized."

However, she admitted to feeling less anxious and "at peace" whenever she takes breaks from social media.

"Whenever I am off of social media and take that shit off my phone, I have this enormous sense of peace," Nicki said. "And then you realize what matters; the things you're thinking about or worrying about, you're like, 'Who cares?!'

In the first few years of Kristen Bell's career, the actress kept her struggles away from the public eye. However, in 2016, she published a personal essay where she disclosed how she dealt with her anxiety while in school.

"I was at New York University, I was paying my bills on time, I had friends and ambition — but for some reason, there was something intangible dragging me down," the actress wrote. "Luckily, thanks to my mom, I knew that help was out there — and to seek it without shame."

In April 2022, the "Havana" singer opened up about her anxiety struggles, revealing that she had sought help by seeing a therapist.

"There was a time where my anxiety felt so bad, I was like, 'I don't feel like I can go in the studio. I don't feel like I can work,'" Cabello mentioned to E! News. "And so, the only way for me to go to work every day was to be honest and be myself. And if I didn't go to work and was just waiting for myself to feel better before I did that. It's just a paralyzing feeling."

She also testified to seeing the therapy results as she had succeeded in getting her life back. "Today, I am no longer in that internal war. I feel the healthiest and most connected to myself I've ever been. Anxiety comes and goes, but now it feels like just another difficult emotion instead of something that's consuming my life."

In Oliver Hudson's case, his longtime battle with anxiety has stemmed from crushing expectations to measure up to his family's acting successes. 

"We're all human beings," he spoke of his enthusiasm to be vocal about his mental struggles via Yahoo Life. "So I just think I have no problem, I have no shame in talking about any of that stuff. I think, if anything, it's relatable and maybe can help someone not feel alone."

In an interview with Vogue, the singer revealed that she had always had anxiety but never spoke about it publicly because she thought it was an ordinary illness.

However, following the deadly bombing of her concert in 2016, she began to speak about dealing with anxiety and the aftermath of the bomb blast.

"i felt like i was floating for like 3 months last year and not in a nice way. like i [was] outside my body? was very scary and i couldn't breathe well," Ariana Grande tweeted at the time. "i hope it comforts ppl who hear it pls."

Although Emma Stone confronted her anxiety as a young child and took to therapy, she still becomes anxious on set and during interviews. She previously spoke to Stephen Colbert on his show about an illustration she drew where she described her anxiety as "a small, green, uterus-shaped monster."

The model has been very vocal about her anxiety and depression. According to her, she tries to deal with it by journalling once or twice a week. She also tries to get engrossed in novels to distract her from the panic attacks. Physical activities were also helpful as feeling good physically also equated to feeling good mentally.

In an essay that Glamour released, Chrissy Teigen revealed that she was diagnosed with anxiety after birthing her daughter.

She also added that she felt that she let her employees and relatives down due to her intense anxiety. "Every step I take feels a little shaky. It's such a weird feeling that you wouldn't know unless you have bad anxiety."