ABC News weatherman Nate Byrne was forced to leave the broadcast midway through Tuesday morning after suffering a panic attack while live on the radio.
Fortunately, his colleagues were well aware of the reporter’s anxiety and were quick to help Byrne as he tried to finish his segment on the weather in Queensland.
Feeling himself having an anxiety attack, Byrne calmly asked if he could hand over the floor to his ABC News Breakfast co-hosts Lisa Millar and Michael Rowland.
“I have to stop for a moment,” he said.
‘Some of you may know that I suffer from panic attacks from time to time, and I am having one now.
“Lisa, maybe I can give it back to you.”
Millar was prepared and took over the job comfortably, allowing Byrne to recover off-screen.
Later she took the opportunity to emphasize an editorial Byrne published about his experiences with panic attacks on the radio in 2022.
ABC News weather presenter Nate Byrne had to take a break midway through Tuesday morning’s broadcast after suffering a panic attack while live on the air. Pictured during the event
In the piece, titled “Live TV Triggered My First Panic Attack,” Byrne described the “terrifying experience” that forever changed his perspective on anxiety and mental health.
The weatherman was later welcomed back to the show and apologized for his absence.
“I’m sorry if I scared anyone,” he said to Millar, who laughed and replied that she was just worried that she had to give the weather report herself.
“Nate wrote a great article about this on the ABC website and I think we’ll repost it and put it on our social media for you to read. It’s great that he’s been so open and transparent about it,” Millar explained to viewers.
‘When he first wrote and spoke about it, everyone was like, “Oh, thank God, Nate’s not perfect. We thought he was perfect, but now he’s speaking out.”‘
“You’ve been very honest about having panic attacks on TV and it’s great that people know that this can happen to anyone,” Millar continued.
The ABC weather presenter regularly suffers from panic attacks
Byrne then thanked his team for their assistance during the attack, after which the broadcast resumed.
A panic attack is a short period of intense fear, which causes physical feelings of anxiety.
These can include a racing heart, shortness of breath, dizziness, trembling, and muscle tension. Panic attacks are common and unexpected, and are often not related to an external threat.
According to Byrne himself, he experiences panic attacks like this:
As I stood there under the studio lights, talking to people drinking their morning coffee and wiping the sleep from their eyes, my heart was pounding, I was gasping for breath, and sweat was pouring from every pore as my brain screamed, “RUN!”
“But I was standing in one of my favorite places, doing what I love most.”
In the detailed account of his first-ever panic attack, Byrne said that as soon as the camera was off him, he dropped his posture during the broadcast and “bent double, trying to catch his breath, dizzy and confused about what was happening.”
Since then, he has been working with a psychologist to learn and apply coping skills so he can continue doing the job he loves.
Rowland has since shared the moment on social media with the update that Byrne has rested and is now doing well.
“You may have seen Nate having a panic attack this morning while presenting the weather forecast on News Breakfast,” he captioned footage from this morning’s broadcast, which he shared to his personal Instagram account around midday.
His ABC News Breakfast colleagues praised Nate for being open and honest about his fear
“Nate has been very open about his panic attacks – he’s even written about them before – and he’s doing great!” Rowland said.
The newsreader and journalist thanked breakfast show viewers profusely for their kindness and understanding, and cheekily noted that he hopes he hasn’t “made matters worse” for Byrne by giving him a “big bear hug off camera” after the incident.
“Thank you for all the support (there have been so many. What a great audience we have!),” Rowland continued.
“As a team, we’re always here for you, Nate.”
‘Always’.
Television colleagues, Australian celebrities and viewers responded en masse to the comments to show their support, with many praising Byrne and his colleagues for ‘normalising’ anxiety and showing how to support someone struggling with it in an effective and compassionate way.
‘Love to Nate! Well done Nate and the team for handling this so well. We are all human and many of us have been in similar situations. What a wonderful role model you are Nate, honest and authentic,’ wrote one viewer.
“These are terrible things. Love for him,” Karl Stefanovic wrote.
“Live TV is challenging,” said Sophie Scott, a professor of mental health at Notre Dame. “By showing your humanity and vulnerability, you can help others who are living with anxiety and panic attacks.”
Australian author and ‘appearance activist’ Carly Findlay OAM also joined the conversation: ‘You are so amazing Nate.’
“Thank you for your openness and honesty. It makes it easier for others to speak out,” added another.