Britain's Got Talent star admits she still suffers 'traumatic panic attacks' after going on show

A former Britain's Got Talent contestant says she needed therapy to deal with the 'trauma' of appearing on the show.

Back in 2009, Hollie Steel was just 10 years old when she took to the stage to show off her voice.

And while the judges thought she was incredible, sending the little girl through to the live shows, things took a turn for the worse in the semi-finals.

While performing a rendition of the song 'Edelweiss' from the classic The Sound of Music, Hollie suffered a panic attack on live television.

After being comforted by Amanda Holden and Ant and Dec, she was allowed to sing again, and was put through to the grand final, where she came in sixth place.

Over a decade on since that night, Hollie says it has left its mark on her.

ITV

The 24-year-old told The Sun: "I was thinking, 'Oh no, it’s happened again. Keep going, keep singing. Oh no, Simon looks disappointed. Keep going. Smile'.

“I was thinking, 'I need to keep going', and there was a point where it was like, 'I need to give up. I need to start again'.”

As a result of her experience on the show, Hollie says she's had to undergo therapy to help her with stage fright.

She said: "I know I have a lot of trauma even from 14 years ago, which is crazy thinking about it.

"When I get on stage, sometimes I go back to that moment when I’m on TV and I’m about to have a panic attack.

"I’ve done a lot of therapy and counselling where I’m just like, ‘You need to breathe... you need to relax. You’re enjoy doing this. Give yourself - you’re fine'.

ITV

"I really had to delve deep to accept the panic attacks for what they are and just keep going through it all.”

Responding to the story, a spokesperson for Britain’s Got Talent said it takes the welfare of its contestants 'extremely seriously'.

“Duty of care to our contestants is of the utmost importance to us," the show said.

“We take the welfare of anyone involved in our programmes extremely seriously and have thorough and robust measures in place to ensure everyone feels supported.

"These measures are under constant review and are adaptable to reflect the unique requirements for each series.”

LADbible has contacted ITV for further comment.

Topics: Amanda Holden, Ant and Dec, Britains Got Talent, Simon Cowell, UK News, ITV, TV and Film

Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers is LADbible's Editorial Lead. After graduating from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History, he went on to write for the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express. So as you can imagine, he’s spent many a night wondering just how useful that second language has been. But c'est la vie.

@SmithersDom