Meghan Trainor opens up about having a panic attack on live TV: ‘I’m not ashamed to say I’m on antidepressants’

Trainor revealed she has been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder

Meghan Trainor has opened up about experiencing a panic attack during a performance on live TV.

In 2016, the “All About That Bass” singer was performing on CBS This Morning ahead of announcing the Grammy nominees when she suffered her first ever panic attack.

Speaking about it for the first time with People, Trainor said: “I was announcing the nominees, and I was vibrating. I felt like I was going to pass out on live television. I was like, ‘What’s happening? I must be dying’.”

She added: “I was so embarrassed and apologised.”

Trainor described how host Gayle King had supported her afterwards, stating: “Gayle was my email buddy after that and always checked in on me. She made everything so much better for me. She’s an angel on this earth.”

Later that year, Trainor was formally diagnosed with depression and anxiety as well as a panic disorder.

In the interview, the 27-year-old went into detail when describing her experiences.

“Some nights I remember I ate a bunch of food, then I got scared, and I was like, ‘I need to go to the emergency room because I’m allergic to what I just ate,’” she said.

Meghan Trainor performs at th O2 ABC Glasgow as part of her UK tour (Getty Images)

“The doctor came in, looked really sad, and was like, ‘Have you ever heard of a panic attack?’ I was like, ‘No, no, no, I’m having an allergic reaction. If you just look in the back of my throat, it’s closing.’ That was my first lesson on what a panic attack can do to you.”

Through therapy and medicine, Trainor said her life has significantly improved since then.

“I’m not ashamed to say I’m on antidepressants. That medicine saved me, saved my life, saved my career. I’m back better than ever,” she said. “I’m in the best place of my life.”

If you have been affected by this article, you can contact the following organisations for support: actiononaddiction.org.uk, mind.org.uk, nhs.uk/livewell/mentalhealth, mentalhealth.org.uk.