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Voice of Ireland judge Bressie has revealed he suffered from anxiety attacks while filming RTE's hit show.
The Mullingar man (32) says pressure from the big budget talent show triggered his own “anxiety issues and mental health issues”.
“Anxiety isn't stress,” he told John Murray on his RTE Radio show this morning.
“Stress is like a cold, anxiety is all consuming - it takes over your life and it doesn't pick its victim.
“For me it started when I was working on the show. I started realising that I lost my anonymity and I started to worry. It was never something I had struggled with before.”
Bressie says his profile skyrocketed when he appeared on the first series of the hit show and he found the experience deeply unsettling.
“It was strange dealing with it at first. I was living in London at the time and the show was going out on a Sunday and I got tweets and then I came home on the Wednesday and I realised everything had changed.
“I'm quite a private person and people always say when you work in television you sacrifice part of that. And I understand that now and accept that.”
Bressie says the size and scale of the show added to his anxiety.
“A live show and a show that big can be overwhelming. I started having massive issues sleeping and constant palpitations. I couldn't relax and couldn't sit down. And that's not like me.”
Bressie says his experience with anxiety means he can relate to teen sensation Justin Bieber and his recent outbursts.
“For me it's clear the guy is having panic attacks and going through a seriously tough time. That's something I can relate to. People dismiss him as a spoilt brat but he's somebody's son and we're all dying to see him have a meltdown. I don't think that's right.”
But Bressie says overall The Voice has been a positive experience for him.
“It's been a positive experience although the lack of privacy isn't ideal, and took me some time to adjust to - it's the only part of what I do that I don't enjoy.”
He's considered one of Ireland's most eligible bachelors but Bressie insists women aren't hounding him.
“I don't have groupies. I don't think groupies exist anymore. I think that's a seventies and eighties thing.”
