Stephen Amell has opened up about having a panic attack while recording a podcast.
The Arrow star was recording an episode of “Inside of You” with Michael Rosenbaum when he started to feel overheated and nauseous, telling that he “might be sick.”
The 38-year-old, who recently finished his eighth and final season on Arrow, said he declined Rosenbaum’s offers to give a ride and somehow managed to go home, and ended up on the couch with chills. The incident happened in December.
On Tuesday, Amell said, “I got home, I got onto the couch, put a blanket over me, and was freezing but just sweating bullets. I told my wife, I had a really bad panic attack.”
The Code 8 actor continued, “I had gotten into such a rut with physical fitness, or lack thereof, that there was no physical release, no release of endorphins.”
“I was left with, not to get too personal, very little sexual appetite because I was doing nothing except digging myself into a rut with my body,” he added.
Amell went to a doctor because he felt he was physically drained. However, his doctor said there is nothing wrong with him.
“And that’s when you have that moment of realization that, ‘Oh my god, this is in my head,’” said Amell. “Which is scarier. I’d rather them tell me, you’ve got to get your spleen removed. But no, there was nothing.”
Explaining that he wanted a much-needed break, Amell said, “The leaving of the show, combined with just, not really breaking away from it in my life … it was like I needed this clean break. I needed to go on a trip. I needed to drop my phone. I just hadn’t disconnected.”
It seemed like Amell’s body had just given out, which could have led to his panic attack.
He told PEOPLE, “Every once in a while people hit a wall and need to reset. I happened to hit mine on Michael’s podcast.”
Nevertheless, three weeks later, Amell got a much-needed break and has been doing well since then. “I took real stock in the fact that I was taking a break and I needed to enjoy my holiday,” Amell said on the podcast.
