Bridgerton star Simone Ashley admits she suffered 'a lot of anxiety' after soaring to global fame
The actress, 30, has soared to global stardom after playing Kathani 'Kate' Bridgerton in the hit Netflix series.
In a feature for Harper's Bazaar, Simone sizzled in a number of chic looks, as she opened up about how her celebrity status has affected her mental well-being.
Meteoric rise to prominence: The actress has seen her stock skyrocket after playing Kathani 'Kate' Bridgerton in the Netflix series
Simone revealed she was left with such bad anxiety that she would often avoid leaving the house so she didn't risk being recognized.
She said: 'When Bridgerton came out, those were some of the best years of my life, but I also had a lot of anxiety.
'I was coming to terms with what I wanted and what I didn't, learning lessons about what really matters to me, taming my ego, listening to my heart… life has changed and there are certain things I can and can't do now.'
The actress said: 'There was a time when I didn't leave the house often because I was afraid of being recognized.
'But it's a journey and I've reached a point where I just don't care as much.'
Simone went on to discuss how her break-up from boyfriend-of-three-years Constantin 'Tino' Klein helped fuel her upcoming album.
She said: 'It's going to be somewhat confessional… and beautiful and messy. That idealistic expectation of being single and having a completely clean start is not what I have been pursuing.
'Good songs don't come from times when my life is regimented and predictable. They come when I am feeling vitality, and usually you either feel that way when your heart's broken, or you're euphoric.
'This work has been an amazing channel to put all those feelings into.'
Rather than the classic acting route of going to drama school and securing an agent, Simone decided to move to Los Angeles at the age of 18.
She said: 'It was quite reckless of me. There wasn't that safety bubble of graduating from drama school, getting an agent, doing it the normal way. I was really scrappy.
'Since I was little, if I wanted something, I would do anything I could to get it. So, I took some modelling jobs to pay the bills and got into acting through that.'
Simone added: 'You can't have a plan B - you're either all in or not. It's like a relationship. If you do have a plan B, it's probably not going to work out.'
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