Coronation Street star Kate Ford has revealed she still suffers from nerves.
The 36-year-old actress, best known for playing scheming Tracy Barlow in the ITV soap, said she uses the Linden Method, a way of treating panic attacks and anxiety, to help.
"I've been suffering with nerves for years. Sometimes when I'm getting a panic attack or a moment of anxiety, I can be fine, but then I suddenly get the fear of having one. It's a fear of embarrassing myself if I'm in the company of strangers or people I don't know very well," she told OK!
Kate - who is mum to five-year-old son Otis with TV producer husband Jon Connerty - continued: "I get this racing heartbeat and a feeling of being disconnected. It's very common now... For a lot of women, the hormone imbalances (from giving birth) can be the cause of the attacks.
"I have to realise what the cause is, deal with the symptoms and become unafraid of the panic."
She joked that her friends and family are 'scared' of her Coronation Street alter-ego, saying: "Though my friends all say I'm the complete opposite of a b****, I think they're all scared of me. I think my husband's scared of Tracy - I've got to keep them on their toes!"
Kate also revealed she wouldn't participate in reality TV shows like Strictly Come Dancing or Dancing On Ice because she isn't confident in her dancing abilities.
"I've been asked to do Strictly, but I'm not confident enough. If I was a brilliant dancer then I would, but I've got two left feet," she said.
"I did admire Samia Ghadie for doing Dancing On Ice. I'm too lazy to do all the training - it's full-on."
