Olly Murs has said that after landing a slot as a vocal coach on ITV show ‘The Voice’, he became “sick with worry and anxiety” about making a mistake on live television.
The 34-year-old singer said his fear came after a blunder he made while presenting rival singing competition ‘X Factor’ in 2015, in which he accidentally announced which contestant was going to be sent home before it was public knowledge.
Consequently, after landing a spot on ’The Voice, Olly said he experienced panic attacks about the role.
He told the Sun’s Fabulous Magazine: “At first I was like: ‘Yes, come on!’ And then a negative thought came in: ‘Why am I doing this? I can’t do it. What if I go and say something bad again on TV? What if I make a mistake?’ So many ‘what ifs?’”
Olly explained how he exhausted all the possible negative outcomes that could come from the job. “Anything bad that could have happened on ‘The Voice’ had already happened in my head, he said.”
He also talked about the physical symptoms of anxiety that accompanied the psychological ones: “I made myself ill, literally ill. Sick with worry and anxiety to the point where I was home for three or four days with sweats, headaches...and I never get ill,” he continued.
“I felt really tired and lethargic and hot...I was having panic attacks.”
The ‘Dance With Me Tonight’ singer, who came in second place when he was a contestant on ‘X Factor’, said that following the 2015 blunder he found himself the target of internet trolls. He has also been open about the fact that he has sought therapy for his anxiety after appearing on the show.
“It took me a few years to pluck up the courage to speak to someone,” he told OK! Magazine about the experience.
“I only went a couple of times but talking to someone who wasn’t judgmental helped me to understand why I was reacting or feeling the way I was.”
It was announced in September that Olly will rejoin ‘The Voice’ as a coach for the upcoming series, alongside will.i.am, Jennifer Hudson and Sir Tom Jones.
The singer also recently revealed that after jumping ship from ‘The X Factor’, he is unsure whether he is on speaking terms with judge Simon Cowell.
However, of his choice to come back as a vocal coach for the 16th season, Olly said: “Now I’ve got one season under my belt, I can’t wait to see what my second season has in store for me. Last year I managed to get seduced and picked some entertaining performers.”
“The other coaches might think they have worked me out but I’m coming back with a bang, just you wait!”
Olly’s new album ‘You Know I Know’ is set to be released on 9 November.
Useful websites and helplines:
- Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393
- Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI - this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill.)
- The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email: help@themix.org.uk
- Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0300 5000 927 (open Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on www.rethink.org.