Donny Osmond shares career-threatening health woes: 'I would have chosen death'
Donny Osmond has been famous since childhood, but he revealed in a Radio 4 interview that he feared his career was over.
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The musician shared that he began experiencing panic attacks and stage fright when appearing on stage in Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat. He appeared in the show following a lull in his career in the 80s and worried he wouldn’t be good enough in the production.
Donny Osmond became famous as a child star alongside his siblings
"I didn't want my career to fail again," he said. "I had to be perfect. If I didn't give a perfect performance people would walk out of the theatre saying 'it wasn’t worth the price.'"
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Donny previously shared his experiences of anxiety, saying: "There are times I remember before I walked on stage where if I had the choice of walking on stage or dying, I would have chosen death."
Of his panic attacks, the star said: "I thought I was actually going crazy in my mind.
Donny Osmond appears on the stage in various guises
"I remember shaking in bed, and I just, I couldn't get out of bed. Something was wrong, and my wife took me to the hospital."
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"I felt like he was having a nervous breakdown,” his wife Debbie said. "He kept saying, 'I can't stop shaking; there's something wrong with me.'"
Donny's wife helped him through his anxiety
It was Donny's wife that broke his spell of anxiety surrounding Joseph, suggesting he did an average show – which resulted in him doing his best show ever, and dispelling his worries for good.
Donny is currently appearing in a solo Las Vegas residency and is enjoying reconnecting with his fans, free from stage fright – in fact, he recently won an award for the best Las Vegas residency, reaffirming his self-confidence.
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