Real Housewives of Cheshire’s Tanya Bardsley says she’s terrified of coming off anti-depressants
REAL Housewives of Cheshire's Tanya Bardsley is terrified of coming off anti-depressants.
Fans of the glamorous reality star saw she was prescribed medication to combat anxiety on the ITVbe reality show.
She's now revealed that she's been undergoing secret therapy sessions to tackle flare ups in series nine, which kicks off next week.
In a bombshell chat with The Sun Online, she admitted: "I'm still on the antidepressants, on the low dose because I came off them on the last series. I'm terrified of coming off them again because I give myself induced chemical depression.
"On the show I see a mind expert and he gives me these exercises to do. So I think that will be quite good for the viewers who do have anxiety.
"You have to close your eyes, feel where the anxiety is, and for me it is here (points to stomach) and picture what colour it is, and it was blue. And you kind of switch it over.
"Another thing is when you feel anxiety, it's because you're in the past or the future. So you have to name five things that you can see, three things you can hear, two things that you can smell. Stuff like that to bring yourself back in the room."
Tanya's battle with anxiety has risen in tandem with her time on the Real Housewives and the mum-of-four admitted the filming the explosive reunion episode each series can be the "worst day" on set.
Despite this, her methods of controlling her battle have worked and she absolutely loves being a Housewife of Cheshire.
She said: "The reunion is the worst day of the year for me. I'm like a dinosaur! I'm like that (pulls face) with anxiety ...
"Phil always says, 'Have you had your happy pill today?
"But the show is amazing for me. I don't want to travel because I've got four young kids. The crew are like family, they come to my house. It's three and a half months of filming, sometimes seven days a week, it can be quite full on. But it's one scene a day so not too bad."
Tanya started her career in the public eye as a glamour girl, posing for all of the lads' mags.
She was voted the first ever FHM High Street Honey in 2002 and was included in their 100 Sexiest Women in the World in the years 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007.
With over 500thousand social media followers, the star admits that negativity comes part and parcel with the job nowadays - but she has a nifty way of stopping hate.
The star said: "You know what you always remember the negatives. It's better to be in your own little bubble. I edit it so certain words like 'big teeth' can't come up now. On Instagram."
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"I don't really care (about being glamorous) now to be honest I think it's being married to Phil because he always says, 'a fussy man's a lonely man'. I'm lucky, he prefers me with no make-up and me trackies on, looking like Russell Brand!"
Dawn Ward, Seema Malhotra, Rachel Lugo, Perla Navia, Hanna Miraftab, Ester Dohnalová will be reopening the doors along with glamorous guest housewife Christine McGuinness when series 9 airs this month on ITVBe.
The Real Housewives of Cheshire returns on Monday March 25th at 10pm on ITVBe.
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