Amanda Seyfried says her panic attacks caused by fame ‘feel like life or death’

Hollywood star Amanda Seyfried has surged to the top in the industry in her two-decade acting career.

Despite being one of the most acclaimed actors in Tinseltown, the Les Miserables star still struggles with anxiety and panic attacks from being under the public eye.

Speaking to Willie Geist on The Today Show, the Mean Girls actor said having panic attacks in the spotlight “feels like life or death.”

"That's what a panic attack is, really. Your body just goes into fight or flight. The endorphin rush and the dump that happens after the panic attack is so extraordinary,” she said.

“You just feel so relieved and your body is just kind of recovered in a way. It's so bizarre because it's physiological, but it starts in your head,” Seyfried shared.

The actor went on to say that she also faced difficulty in proving to people she is “still normal”.

"I do not have someone waking me up with breakfast in bed, and I'm not chauffeured around,” she said.

"And every time I meet someone new, I'm just so desperate for them to understand that you can talk to me. I wanna connect like everybody else, because I am like everybody else."