Craig Conover is speaking out about his girlfriend Paige DeSorbo‘s recent panic attack.
Days after the 31-year-old Summer House cast member suffered a sudden episode of anxiety and fear as she was set to take to the stage with Hannah Berner, 33, amid their live Giggly Squad tour, the 36-year-old Southern Charm star applauded Paige for her bravery and transparency with her mental health struggles.
“I was actually at a work dinner in Missouri and my partner noticed my phone was ringing—she was calling me, so I answered and she was having a panic attack and I was able to work her through it,” he told E! News on September 27. “It was scary for everyone involved, because you’re not there to help and she was so brave and she pushed through.”
After experiencing the panic attack at her and Hannah’s September 24 show, Paige spoke candidly about the ordeal on stage, which Craig appreciated.
“What we realize is the more honest we are with stuff, people are like, ‘Oh me too, me too,'” Craig noted. “So, she’s on this journey trying to figure it out, because it came out of nowhere. She’s sharing this journey with everyone, and I hope she’s able to connect and help others.”
Recalling what had happened, Paige admitted that what happened that night was her “first real legit panic attack.”
“The crazy thing about anxiety is that you don’t know what it’s about,” she noted. “I was about to go onstage in front of 3000 people, so you can be like, ‘Oh yeah, it’s stage fright,’ except that I’ve done that 50 times before. I’ve been on reality TV for six years, you can’t say anything to me that’s going to rattle me at this point, I was part frustrated because I was like, ‘What is going on with my body?'”
Paige previously revealed she’s suffered from “general anxiety” but “never really felt panic attacks the way that people would describe them” and had “never been on medicine for anxiety before.”
“I was always like, ‘I’m stronger than that. This is all in my head. I’m strong enough to tell myself to snap out of it,’ and I just wasn’t,” she said. “Admitting that to yourself is part of the battle.”
To cope with the symptoms of her panic attack, Paige said she took a beta blocker, which calmed her down physically and allowed her to move forward with her and Hannah’s live show.
“I didn’t plan for this to happen,” she explained. “This is my job so I know I can do it. It’s obviously something that’s happening for me that I need to figure out.”
For now, Paige is enjoying the many supportive messages and tips fans have sent her way.
“I’m so thankful to the other Gigglers,” she gushed. “Because I did feel less alone.”
