Inbetweeners star James Buckley has been brutally honest about his struggles with fame and the anxiety that being recognised causes.
He sparked concern when he admitted that being in the spotlight had affected his mental health and that he would be happy to disappear form the public eye.
Speaking on his Complete Load of Podcast show, the down-to-earth actor admitted that there are pros and cons to being famous.
James, 31, said that other than things like getting a table at a restaurant or people being extra helpful when out shopping, he couldn't think of any other pros to being famous.
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He continued: "The cons are... not being able to relax. Not being able to feel like you're not 'on' when leaving the house, at any point. I don't wanna whinge about it, but it does make me anxious. It makes me very self-conscious.
"I'm accidentally famous. I'm not built to be famous. I'm not a star. So being stared at, people taking sneaky pictures of you..."
James, who played Jay Cartwright in The Inbetweeners, openly admits he doesn't think he's that famous, but still struggles with the anxiety that comes with being scrutinised.
He said: "But I feel constantly on edge. I'm getting closer and closer to never leaving my house again. I am struggling with it, and I'm not even that famous.
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"I'm not Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt, but I really struggle with it. It's something I find really difficult. People taking secret pictures of me... it fries my brain. Just come and talk to me, I'd love to talk to you. That's gonna make my day."
Buckley summarised by commenting that fame can really affect a person's mental health, adding: "You cannot put a price on mental health".
Speaking about what he would do instead, he joked that he's "not intelligent enough to have a proper job".
"I never wanted to be famous, I just wanted to make people laugh on television," he added. "And it is a job I absolutely love. But you will become a bit insane."
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James has commented before on how he tends to struggle with his persona as 'Jay' getting mixed up with his own. After fans expressed disappointment over the reunion show back in January, he said he felt like a 'moron'.
He admitted: "It became a thing that wasn't a celebration of this good thing I did in my life, it was me being taken the piss out of for hours on end.
"I didn't have the personality or the intelligence to cope with it, especially when you're up against someone like Jimmy Carr, who's super quick and super funny.
"So I come across as a complete moron through the whole thing.
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"I got caught where I was acting up as Jay, because there was an audience there of Inbetweeners fans, I got caught in this spot between Jay and myself where myself was going, 'You're acting like a fucking idiot, you're being a moron, you're being a dick."
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