Former EastEnders star Hetti Bywater has opened up about her ongoing battle with anxiety.
The actress, who played Lucy Beale in the BBC soap, shared a make-up free selfie with her 99,700 Instagram followers and revealed she suffers in social situations.
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In a heartfelt post, she admitted she had to “catch her breath” when in a busy city like London.
She wrote: “Just like most people, I suffer with anxiety. Mainly social, and I always need to catch my breath when I’m in London.
“It occasionally gets a bit much. Especially with all the people. So I take myself back home and spend time outside and listen to what my body and mind need.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1jUZn8ljlS/
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She continued: “I get stuck in my own thoughts and feel overwhelmed, needing to re-assess where I am at.
“Nature and being still helps me do that and become more mindful. It’s my escapism. I feel much calmer and far more in touch with my emotions. I have definitely needed this recently.”
Her message appeared to touch her readers, as one responded: “I suffer from anxiety too. That’s why I look up to you to calm me down. You’re beautiful.”
Hetti’s former co-star Jacqueline Jossa, who has also spoken publicly about her battle with anxiety, was one of many to like the post.
Hetti, 24, recently lashed out at critics who wrote unkind comments on her social media pages.
After sharing a selfie in a bikini, trolls accused the star of being too thin.
While some fans described Hetti as “amazing” and “stunning”, many others tried to bodyshame her by calling her “anorexic”, “skinny” and “ill”.
Hetti lashed out at the comments, many of which she deleted, and said she would continue deleting any negative ones.
She later removed the photo altogether.
Hetti played Lucy in EastEnders from 2012, becoming the fourth actress to portray Ian Beale’s only daughter – up until her murder at the hands of little brother Bobby Beale in 2014.
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