Things got pretty intense on the last episode of Below Deck Mediterranean. Fans and crew alike were pretty shocked when the usually stoic chief steward, Hannah Ferrier, suffered a debilitating anxiety attack.
Following that episode, Hannah is speaking out about the panic attack, while her love interest, Conrad Empson, also discusses the scary moment in a new interview.
During the episode, Hannah revealed she’s actually been battling anxiety for quite some time.
“Anxiety is something that’s been in my life for 10 years now,” she said. “It’s something I felt like I had under control. But I guess not.”
Hannah also gave a little insight into what caused the anxiety attack, saying that both her burgeoning relationship with Conrad, and the heavy work load and lack of sleep associated with her high pressure position were factors. She added, via Twitter, that dealing with the issue isn’t easy.
She wrote: “Thanks for the love and support twitter world. Anxiety is not an easy thing to deal with made harder with cameras in your face. But that’s the job. I really appreciate the support.”
Thanks for the love and support twitter world. Anxiety is not an easy thing to deal with made harder with cameras in your face. But that’s the job. I really appreciate the support 💗 #belowdeckmed pic.twitter.com/1EsrMsOZxD
— Hannah Ferrier – CEO Ocean Int Training Academy (@hannahferrier_) July 18, 2018
Thanks hun. If it makes people feel like they aren’t alone then that’s good! Although I don’t feel ‘brave’ as it had been going on for 8 days! X
— Hannah Ferrier – CEO Ocean Int Training Academy (@hannahferrier_) July 19, 2018
In an interview with the Daily Dish, Conrad revealed he felt sorry for Hannah, and understood her fear about opening up to him. He also agreed that the stress of Hannah’s job could have been to blame.
“I did feel sorry for Hannah. I don’t really know what was going on because she hid a lot of it,” he stated. “I guess she’s just never been in a relationship before and didn’t want to open up, was scared about it. And plus, the stress of the season with the amount of hours we do and everything like that doesn’t help.”
All the same, Conrad feels that something good came out of the scary experience, as the cast and fans got a glimpse of a “kind of light, sensitive side to her.”
In addition to Conrad, Hannah got plenty of love and support from her fellow crew members. Kasey Cohen took to Twitter to explain just how important it is to “be patient” while dealing with anxiety.
Anxiety is a real thing. About 1 in 4 people are affected by anxiety globally. It’s important to be patient with yourself, kind to yourself and look after yourself. Nothing is more important than your health. #BelowDeckMed
— Kasey Cohen (@kaseylcohen) July 18, 2018
Captain Sandy Yawn also expressed her well wishes.
It’s always hard to see your crew struggle. My heart went out to @hannahferrier_ and @JamieLynnJason. #BelowDeckMed
— Captain Sandy Yawn ⚓ (@CaptSandyYawn) July 18, 2018
We certainly wish the crew continued good health. You can continue to watch the drama unfold every Tuesday night at 9/8c only on Bravo!
Photo Credit: Bravo, Zev Schmitz/Bravo