Chloe Madeley has candidly discussed her ongoing struggle with generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), confessing she was “basically a mess”.
In an interview with The Sun, 37-year-old Chloe has looked back on her career in the fitness industry and talked about how she made the switch from working in TV to becoming a personal trainer. Chloe, daughter of presenters Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan, started working in fitness 12 years ago, while she was dealing with undiagnosed GAD.
She said: “If you’d have told me 12 years ago that I was going to work in fitness, I would have laughed my arse off, but I love it. When I started out, I was working in TV and I was miserable.
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“I had undiagnosed generalised anxiety disorder and was basically a f**king mess. Then I did Dancing On Ice and panto and met my then boyfriend Danny [Young, 38, an actor turned PT] who wanted to train me.
“Because I fancied him, I said OK, even though I was dreading it. During the first session, I did a barbell back squat and I immediately felt strong and capable, and that was it.
“I started doing it more and went out less, and my mental health improved. I quit TV and thought: ‘I want to do this for a living’.”
Chloe admitted to The Sun that her health kick started after appearing on Dancing on Ice
(Image: Youtube/@SoWrongItsRightPod)
Chloe, who parted ways with her husband James Haskell in 2023, said that exercise has revolutionised not only her life but also significantly improved her mental wellbeing and physique. As a mother and entrepreneur running The EC Blueprint, her blog Fitness Fondue, and a personal training business, she offers invaluable advice for those looking to boost their fitness levels.
She added: “My advice is: action breeds motivation. Look at your lifestyle and be realistic how many days you can commit to the gym – even if it’s one, it doesn’t matter what you do, just do it.
“The endorphins will kick in so you feel physically and mentally better. Build on it and suddenly, you will start to change your lifestyle, and the motivation will be there.”
She shared her own challenges post-separation, stating, “When I separated from James, I went through a spell of circumstantial depression. I couldn’t get out or go to the gym, and having to claw that back was so difficult.
“But within two weeks of getting back into a routine, I was a different person. That’s the reason I keep going to the gym. I’m a happier, healthier person.”
Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is recognized by The Royal College of Psychiatrists as an anxiety disorder characterized by having many worries at once, disproportionate concerns to actual situations, and difficulty controlling these worries. Affecting 1 in every 25 people in the UK, GAD is relatively common.
Anyone seeking more information about this condition can find support on the NHS website.