Joe Lycett says anxiety nearly made him throw up over Lorraine Kelly on live TV

Comedian said daytime presenter could have got ‘a faceful of Bran Flakes’

Joe Lycett has said that his struggle with anxiety meant he nearly threw up over Lorraine Kelly on live TV.

The comedian revealed that a long battle with stage fright has evolved into attacks of anxiety in recent years. One particular episode led him to become convinced that he was about to douse one of the country’s best-loved presenters in his breakfast.

“I’ve had stage-fright my entire career, but I enjoy nerves,” Lycett told The Guardian. “They’re a source of potential energy. But in recent years, I’ve also been having anxiety attacks. The last one was on Lorraine Kelly’s show. My throat closed up and I felt like I was going to vomit.”

He continued: “Ten seconds before we went on-air, I convinced myself: ‘I’m going to be sick on live telly. Lorraine’s going to get a faceful of Bran Flakes.’ But when we went live, I suddenly became totally serene.”

Lycett hit the headlines earlier this month when he appeared to storm off a Channel 4 chat show.

During an appearance on Steph’s Packed Lunch, Lycett boasted that he had given up single-use white plastic as it was harder to recycle. However, presenter Steph McGovern then confronted Lycett with evidence that he had recently drunk a bottle of Yop, which is made from single-use white plastic.

Lycett then removed his microphone and stormed off the set.

It was later revealed that the walk-out was planned to raise awareness of the issue, with Yop pledging to change their bottles moving forward as a result.