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A weather presenter who had to stop his broadcast after suffering a panic attack on live television has explained how he ‘forgot to breathe’.
ABC News Breakfast presenter Nate Byrne has fronted the Australian TV programme’s weather coverage over the past seven years.
However, on Tuesday he alerted his colleagues and audience to the fact he needed to take a quick break after feeling a panic attack coming on.
While in the middle of reading the weather report for the state of Queensland, he asked to hand back to hosts Lisa Millar and Michael Rowland.
‘I’m actually going to need to stop for a second,’ he said.
‘Some of you may know that I occasionally get affected by some panic attacks, and actually that’s happening right now.
‘Lisa, maybe I could hand back to you.’
More than happy to take over, Millar mentioned a piece Byrne had written two years ago about experiencing panic attacks on air.
‘Nate wrote a great piece on the ABC online website about this, and I reckon we might re-up it, put it on our socials, so you can have a bit of a read because it’s fantastic that he has been so open and transparent about it,’ she explained.
‘The response when he first wrote about it and spoke about it was that everyone said, “Oh thank god, Nate’s not perfect, we thought he was perfect, but actually he’s now sharing something”.’
She added: ‘So, we will put that up and you can get a little bit of an understanding of some of the things that go on with our brains and bodies when doing live television.
A few days on, he’s now spoken about what happened in the moment.
‘The weather wall is my happy place and originally, [I had] run there, been out of breath, was trying to control it so I could use my good presenter voice. And I think I kind of forgot how to breathe properly in that moment, starved my brain of oxygen a bit and it didn’t feel very happy about that,’ he said during an appearance on the Will & Woody show on the KIIS Network.
‘And so, the next time I was at the wall was when I had a panic attack. In fact, that’s the only place it happens for me.’
The presenter went on to share how he dealt with the situation the first time he ever experienced it during his career.
‘After the very first one happened, I went immediately went to a doctor, got some beta blockers which by chance, I was also on air on the news that night,’ he explained
‘And I’ll tell you how quickly this medication can work. That morning, I had my first panic attack, was unable to go on air. That night I was on national television doing the news.’
After returning to screens on Tuesday, Byrne apologised for briefly having to step out of the studio.
‘Sorry if I gave anybody a bit of a scare,’ he told viewers.
‘You’ve been very honest before about getting panic attacks on air and it’s great for people to know that it can happen to anyone,’ Millar replied, before Rowland jumped in with a joke.
‘Gave me a scare because I thought I’d have to finish doing the weather report,’ he said.
The host later shared a clip of the moment on his social media accounts, reassuring viewers Byrne is feeling much better.
‘You might have seen Nate experience a panic attack earlier this morning while presenting the News Breakfast weather,’ he began.
‘Nate’s open about his panic attacks — he’s even written about them before — and he’s doing okay!
What to do if you have a panic attack?
During a panic attack you get a rush of intense mental and physical symptoms. It can come on very quickly and for no apparent reason.
Symptoms include a racing heartbeat, feeling faint, sweating, nausea, chest pain, shortness of breath, trembling, hot flushes, chills, shaky limbs, a choking sensation and dizziness, among others.
Most panic attacks last between five and 20 minutes. Although they are frightening, they’re not dangerous and can be treated with talking therapies and medication.
The NHS advises that during a panic attack people should stay where they are if possible, breathe slowly and deeply, focus on positive, peaceful and relaxing images and remember it’s not life threatening.
‘Thank you for all the supportive messages (There have been so many. What a wonderful audience we have!) As a team, we’ll always have your back, Nate. Always. (Although I hope I didn’t make matters worse with my bear hug off-camera…)’
Responding to the post, Byrne commented that he had the ‘best support team’.
He added: ‘Also, ALWAYS more hugs rather than fewer, please!’
Many people also threw their support behind the presenter.
‘Sending love to Nate! Well done to Nate and the team for navigating that so well. We are all human and many of us have been in similar situations. What a beautiful role model you are Nate, honest and authentic,’ Vanessa shared.
‘You are so amazing Nate. Live TV is challenging. Showing your humanity and vulnerability will help others who live with anxiety and panic attacks.’ Sophie posted.
Singer Paul Dempsey also wrote: ‘This is awesome. Panic attacks are not. Well done Nate and the whole team.’
In his 2022 piece, Byrne described how his first panic attack happened on live TV, which he labelled as a ‘terrifying experience’.
However, he said it ‘completely reshaped my understanding of mental health’.
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Byrne, a Bureau of Meteorology-trained meteorologist, also served in the Australian Navy for 12 years.
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