Vogue Williams has told how her podcast pal Joanne McNally has become her “free therapist”.
The dynamic duo are best friends and co-hosts of the successful My Therapist Ghosted Me show.
Mum-of-three Vogue has battled anxiety since losing her beloved dad Freddie aged 68 to a stroke in 2010.
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She recently revealed on her husband Spencer Matthews’ podcast, Big Fish, that her divorce from Brian McFadden in 2015 triggered the condition.
Presenter Vogue recalled her physical symptoms, from clenched hands to feeling sick to her stomach.
In 2021, she revealed she thought she was having a “heart attack” during a bad bout of anxiety.
The Howth native, 37, opened up to the Irish Sunday Mirror on how she copes with her anxiety now.
Vogue, 37, told us: “Sometimes I’ll go to a therapist but I haven’t in a long time.
“I also love a good moan on the phone to my friends. I’ll ring Joanne [McNally] for half an hour, offload and then feel great.
“She’s like my own free therapist.
“Different things work for people and at different times, for me as well.
“I don’t do anything like Wim Hof [Dutch motivational speaker who favours ice dips]. I cannot bear the cold.
“I have to get out of the sea in Spain in summer even, I’m terrible.
“I do love a sauna, though, it’s really good for your heart and everything else.”
Admitting previously she was “embarrassed” to take medication for her condition, she conceded that tablets were necessary, during this period of her life.
She added: “I was on tablets at one stage and they were helpful at that time.
“It’s just about finding something for yourself.
“I feel like I was at a point before when I needed to take tablets to calm myself before I could even think about therapy.
“I was so worked up in my own mind, that it would have been hard to figure anything else out so they were really helpful to me at that point.
“Therapy is amazing to offload all your stuff onto somebody else.”
Cognitive behavioural therapy gave her the tools to cope.
She added: “I did CBT. They give you things to retrain and understand the way you’re thinking.”
In her 2018 RTE documentary Trial By Social Media, the entrepreneur hit out at online trolls who told her to abort her baby.
But Vogue said nasty commentators no longer faze her thanks to her husband’s words of wisdom.
She explained: “I don’t get much of it any more.
“If I see the odd comment I literally scroll past it.
“It’s so meaningless at this stage, you know why people are doing it.
“If that’s what brings them some happiness to slag off other people that’s fine.
“I was even looking at Em Rata [Emily Ratajkowski] on Instagram, the amount of abuse she’s getting over [dating] Harry Styles, I’m like Jesus Christ people are crazy.
“More power to them, if that’s what they like to do with their days, then let them off.
“But to be honest I’ve a really good following and I don’t really see very much of that thankfully.”
Vogue is now settled in London but flies home for visits to Dublin as often as she can.
She said she loves the anonymity over there.
She added: “Nobody’s following me around, I’m left to my own devices.
“The only time you’ll see me looking glam is if I’m going to work.
“I spend a lot of my time at home or training and chilling out with my friends.
“It’s not too glamorous over here.”
The sellout success My Therapist Ghosted Me live stage show is back at the 3Arena in Dublin this November.
Meanwhile, ex-Made in Chelsea star Spencer and Vogue bring their podcast live to the stage at Dublin’s 3Olympia this September. The former Fade Street star and Spencer wed in 2018 on the banks of the picturesque loch on his 10,000-acre family estate in Scotland.
They share three children together, Theodore, four, Gigi, two, and baby Otto.
Vogue regularly opens up the couple’s sex life but joked that Spencer takes it on the chin.
She said: “He doesn’t care, he knows we’re only joking, sure we just have such a laugh on our podcast, myself and Spen and he doesn’t hear the Joanne one thankfully.
“He’s better off, he doesn’t listen to it.
“There’s a lot of people I ask not to listen to it.
“My mam’s not allowed to listen too. I’d prefer if Spenny’s mum didn’t listen to it too.”
When quizzed as to whether the couple schedule sexy time, due to their demanding workload, Vogue said she prefers to be spontaneous.
She said: “We don’t do that.
“I don’t like things to be too organised like that.
“I like everything else to be organised except that.”
The telly favourite said she hasn’t ruled out adding to her brood.
She added: “I don’t know, I’m having a year off anything.
“The thoughts of it aren’t even on my mind.
“I feel like I’ve been permanently pregnant for the last four years.
“Otto is a dream child, I kind of wish he was really misbehaved, it would put you off. I haven’t been put off for good but we also love a family of three.”
Vogue was on hand to launch Love Rivalry to celebrate Heineken Champions Cup 2023.
The Leinster supporter added: “I love the craic that comes with match day and the laugh between friends and family of opposing teams in the lead up.
“There’s plenty of it in our house, living with my English husband, nobody holds back.
“The kids are always wearing their Irish jerseys and Spenny has been sitting very lonely on his side of the couch.”
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