Meteorologist has panic attack live on air, prompting wave of praise
An TV meteorologist is being praised for how he handled an on-air panic attack.
ABC News Australia's Nate Byrne was presenting his weather segment on Tuesday's Daily Breakfast when he felt the attack coming on.
"I'm actually going to need to stop for a second. Some of you may know that I occasionally get affected by some panic attacks, and actually that's happening right now, Lisa, maybe I could hand back to you," he said before cameras cut to his colleague.
"You certainly can Nate," said the show's co-host Lisa Mitchell, going on to promote a piece Byrne previously wrote about the same topic.
"It's fantastic that he has been so open and transparent about it. And the response when he first wrote about it and spoke about it was that everyone said, 'Thank God. Nate's not perfect. We thought he was perfect, but actually he's now sharing something,'" she said. "We'll put that up, and you can get a little bit of an understanding of some of the things that go on with our brains and our bodies when we're doing live television."
Later, Mitchell welcomes Byrne back. "Very pleased to say that our wonderful colleague Nate is back with us," she said.
"Sorry if I gave anybody a bit of a scare there," Byrne said.
@abcnewsaus Nate Byrne experienced a panic attack while presenting the weather. He’s open about his panic attacks — he’s even written about them before — and he’s doing okay. Here’s the moment it happened and the team’s response. To personalise your news & stay in the know, download the ABC News app via the link our bio. #ABCNews #PanicAttack #MentalHealth #Anxiety
♬ original sound - ABC News Australia - ABC News Australia
The clip of the incident has now gone viral, with more than 4.6 million views on the network's TikTok alone, and people are applauding Byrne and the team for highlighting something that happens to many people.
"He handled that like a champ. as someone who's gone through this myself I'm literally in tears," one user commented.
"Being vulnerable is so scary but also so empowering! thank you for being so transparent and honest with us, you're not alone!!" another user wrote.
"They both handled this so seamlessly! Really beautiful and authentic," another commented.
"Not only did she handle it with grace, but she PRAISED him for being vulnerable & credited his price ab it. I'm sobbing. This is beautiful," another wrote.
Panic attacks are common, according to the Cleveland Clinic, with up to 11% of people in the United States experiencing at least one. Approximately 2% to 3% of people in the U.S. have a panic disorder, the clinic notes.
This isn't the first time an on-air meteorologist has shared a typically private moment on screen for all their viewers.
Last year, CBS Los Angeles viewers witnessed a scary moment when KCAL News meteorologist Alissa Carlson fainted live on air, just as she was about to deliver a weather forecast.
Fully recovered, she joined "CBS Mornings" at the time to share how she's doing and what doctors say caused the sudden collapse: a condition called vasovagal syncope.
