Hannah Waddingham says being waterboarded for 10 hours on Game of Thrones was 'worst day of her life'

Hannah Waddingham is best known now for her performances in shows like Ted Lasso and Sex Education, or her presenting gig at this year's Eurovision Song Contest - but before all of that, she was getting waterboarded on Game of Thrones.

The actor, 48, has come out since that scene aired and - understandably - described it as the worst day of her life.

In seasons five and six of the hit HBO series, Waddingham played Septa Unella, and had one very traumatic experience on the set that involved being 'waterboarded for 10 hours'.

BBC

Speaking to Collider, Waddingham said of the harrowing Game of Thrones experience: "There I was strapped to a wooden table with proper big straps for 10 hours. And definitely, other than childbirth, it was the worst day of my life.

"Because Lena was uncomfortable pouring liquid in my face for that long, and I was beside myself.

"But in those moments you have to think, do you serve the piece and get on with it or do you chicken out and go, 'No, this isn't what I signed up for, blah, blah, blah?'.

"And then, the funny thing was, after we'd finished shooting it for the whole day, and people like Miguel Sapochnik, the director by the way, walking past with a cup of tea and a sandwich on-the-go and going, 'Hi, honey, you all right?' And I was like, 'Not really'. 'The crew have just been saying we are actually really waterboarding you here'.

"And I was like, 'Yup, you don't need to tell me that'."

HBO

Following the filming of the scene, Waddingham said that she had some after painful physical symptoms.

She explained: "I could barely speak because I had been screaming through the Mountain's hand, which is quite frightening as a singer to completely lose your voice, so I had no voice at all to barely whisper, bruises already coming up like I had been attacked and I was like, 'I've basically just been waterboarded for 10 hours'."

Not only that, but she had more lasting consequences after the harrowing day.

"I hadn't even realized that it definitely gave me claustrophobia around water," she added. "Definitely. I hadn't realized until I watched a program where the camera's down on the actor's face and they're being dipped into the water, but you see them face-up to the camera, and I got in a terrible panic about it.

"And I actually went and had a bit of a chat to somebody about it, because it's quite full-on being waterboarded for 10 hours, and then only one minute and 30 seconds can be used on camera."

LADbible has approached HBO for comment.