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Emma Stone opens up about living with anxiety from the age of 7

The Oscar-winner revealed how acting and improvisation helped prevent attacks

Jacob Stolworthy
Friday 22 September 2017 08:01 BST
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(Getty)

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Emma Stone has shared details of her experiences with anxiety revealing she began therapy when she was seven years old.

The Oscar-winning actress appeared on The Late Show with Steven Colbert showing a picture she'd drawn aged nine bearing the words: “I'm bigger than my anxiety.”

“So I was nine and in therapy at that time - this is me with anxiety who is a little green monster,” she elaborated to the late night host Colbert.

She continued: “I was a very, very anxious child and I had a lot of panic attacks. I benefited in a big way from therapy - I started it at seven."

The 28-year-old actress - star of such films as La La Land and Easy A - revealed the extent to which her profession has aided in preventing attacks.

“Acting and improvisation helped me so much... I still have anxiety to this day but not panic attacks, knock on wood.”

In May, as part of a campaign with charity Child Mind, Stone detailed her experiences managing the anxiety she felt with “great therapists and great cognitive behavioural tools."

She will next be seen in Battle of the Sexes, a film about the 1973 exhibition match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs.

Other stars who have been vocal about their anxiety include Adele, Zayn Malik and Jennifer Lawrence.

For more help and advice on mental health visit samartians.org and youngminds.org.uk.

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