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Ellie Goulding says cuddles with her infant son help to fight off panic attacks

Ellie Goulding said her struggles with anxiety and panic attacks have been more intense since she gave birth to her first child. (SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty)
Ellie Goulding said her struggles with anxiety and panic attacks have been more intense since she gave birth to her first child. (SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty)

Ellie Goulding says her anxiety has increased since the birth of her son, but that cuddling him helps to alleviate her panic attacks.

Goulding's son Arthur with husband Caspar Jopling was born in April 2021 and she has said she became "much more of an emotional person" after Arthur arrived, experiencing heightened anxiety.

Read more: Ellie Goulding reveals why she kept her pregnancy a secret

"It’s huge, but the joy they bring and the fact they make you laugh really balances that out," she told the Mirror.

Goulding added: "When I get anxious, giving Arthur cuddles and hanging out with him really makes me feel a lot better."

Watch: Ellie Goulding thinks having a baby has improved her singing voice

The Love Me Like You Do singer has been open about struggling with panic attacks throughout her music career, but said she "reached new heights of panic and fear" after becoming a mother.

She added: "If you haven’t had a panic attack, it’s so hard to describe and explain but it’s just so overwhelming.

Read more: Ellie Goulding has become "more introverted" during pandemic

"With the current climate and what’s going on in the world, it’s making everything seem a lot more intense.

“It’s some kind of survival mechanism to you and your kid. You want to survive as much as possible for them and you also want them to survive, so you’re kind of fighting for both of you. It’s a lot."

Ellie Goulding and Caspar Jopling got married at York Minster in 2019. (PA/Getty)
Ellie Goulding and Caspar Jopling got married at York Minster in 2019. (PA/Getty)

Goulding recently made her return to music after Arthur's birth with the new track Easy Lover, featuring Big Sean.

She has teased that her upcoming fifth album — a "dance thing from outer space" — will have a more electronic sound than her previous work.

Read more: Ellie Goulding opens up about battle with anxiety

Goulding said: "It feels good. I’ve been doing this for such a long time, you have to get to a point where you just put trust in yourself."

The star married her husband Caspar in 2019 at York Minster, with her Royal Family buddies Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice present at the ceremony.

Watch: Ellie Goulding talks about "debilitating" panic attacks