The dark side of fame ELLIE’S HIDDEN TRAUMA

Panic attacks nearly stopped the popstar from being a hit

There’s no doubt about it – Ellie Goulding is having what most of her fans would consider a dream life.

After 13 years at the top of the music charts, she’s worth almost $50 million. She counts her song streams, meanwhile, in the billions and just shy of two years ago, she and husband Caspar joyfully welcomed their first child, Arthur, into the world.

The British songstress, however, makes no secret of the fact her fame has brought as much sorrow as it has joy.

“I get such chronic anxiety that in the rare moments I don’t have anxiety, I feel so happy and full of joy that I’m not having it,” the 36-year-old shared recently.

“I’ve struggled daily, nightly, hourly with a kind of panic I didn’t even know existed. If I was to really think about it, my anxiety has dictated quite a lot of my life and career, and I feel sad about that.”

Ellie, however, has no intention of letting it get the better of her.

Instead, next month sees the release of her fifth studio album, Higher than Heaven, and the Love Me Like You Do hitmaker is also preparing to go on tour.

The main thing she’s concerned with right now, she smiles, is arranging her schedule so her son Arthur, who turns two on April 29, can accompany her.

Before she gave birth, Ellie confesses had no idea how much she would want to be with her child.