Monday, 22 October 2007

• Prev
• Next

Kym Ryder: I overcame my panic attacks

Life coach helped Coronation Street star to combat her fears

Kym Ryder has learnt to deal with the panic attacks which have dictated her life.

Anxiety which began with bullying at school became worse following the birth of daughter Emily in 1997 and went into overdrive after Kym won a place in pop group Hear’Say in 2001.

‘I hyperventilate and think I’m dying,' she explains. 'A really bad attack is frightening – it takes away my independence and dictates my life.'

But now Kym, 29, has tackled the problem with professional help and rarely suffers an episode.

‘You have to overcome them,’ she tells the Sun. ‘I don’t have them a lot now. The life coach put me on the right path to face my fear.’

The ambitious mum-of-two, who scooped Best Newcomer at this year’s TV Quick and British Soap Awards, is a big hit with Coronation Street’s viewers and has been signed up for another year on the ITV1 soap.