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Saturday, 20 October 2007

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Claire Danes: I had therapy when I was 6

Actress say her parents were worried about her imaginary friends

Claire Danes has admitted that she had such a wild imagination as a kid, her parents sent her to therapy.

The actress – who’s currently starring in magical movie Stardust – created wild fantasies about malicious invisible pals.

‘I was a very imaginative child,’ she says.

‘I had imaginary friends who weren’t very friendly. I was getting to be a bit of a neurotic mess, so my parents thought therapy might be a good idea.’

As a little girl Claire, now 28, says she was more frightened of her therapist than her invisible mates. But she carried on with the sessions - and still has the odd one today.

‘A lot of people think 6 is a bit young to go into therapy but in New York no one thinks it's strange. I’ve benefited enormously,’ she tells Stella.

‘It’s made me more self-aware. It’s given me a chance to reflect on my experiences and my feelings.’

Alison Adey