00s heartthrob reveals horror phobia that left him stuck in a hotel room at height of fame-Laura Harman-Entertainment – Metro

Chad Michael Murray revealed he suffered from a difficult phobia (Picture: Alberto Rodriguez/Variety via Getty Images)

Chad Michael Murray has revealed that he suffers from agoraphobia and was unable to leave his hotel room during an incident at the height of his fame.

Chad, 42, is best known for his iconic roles in Gilmore Girls, Freaky Friday and A Cinderella Story, all significant films and TV shows from the noughties that cemented him as an important fixture in pop culture.

The actor starred in One Tree Hill as Lucas Scott from 2003 until 2012, a role that defined his career and made him a household name – and a pin-up on many young teenagers’ bedroom walls.

However, the actor has revealed that amid this intense fame, he was suffering from a crippling phobia that made everyday life a struggle.

‘I was around 23 and I had an event in Miami, but I couldn’t leave my hotel room,’ he said opening up about his agoraphobia.

‘The world felt like it was closing in; I was having anxiety attacks,’ he told The Cut.

The actor went on to say that he was ‘far more fragile than I ever put on.’

‘Everyone starts telling you “Yes,”’ he said. ‘But I was walking around with a really pained heart.’

One Tree Hill began airing more than 20 years ago (Picture: The CW)

Agoraphobia is a type of anxiety disorder that is defined by the NHS as ‘a fear of being in situations where escape might be difficult or that help wouldn’t be available if things go wrong.’

It’s frequently misunderstood as a condition that causes fear of open spaces but it is much more complex and can involve fears of public spaces such as shopping centres or public transport.

The star revealed that he found solace in therapy and religion when he turned 25. ‘I woke up and felt unsettled. I didn’t like the direction that I was going in my life,’ he said. ‘I went to church, and I got a tattoo of a cross on my left wrist, and I was like, I’m going to move myself in faith.’

Co-stars Sophia Bush and Chad in 2005 (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)

In another part of the interview, Chad spoke about spending three months in the hospital as a child when two and a half feet of his small intestine were removed because of a mesentery issue.

‘When they put me back together, I ended up with 48 ounces of internal bleeding, which led to a blood transfusion on my deathbed,’ he said.

However, he revealed that the nurse looking after him was a model, ‘every 15-year-old boy’s dream,’ he joked.

In a bizarre twist, the nurse helped him with connections in Hollywood and soon after he turned 18 he used the network links to begin auditioning. 

The actor in One Tree Hill (Picture: Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection)

Chad starred in Mother of the Bride on Netflix (Picture: Netflix/Everett/REX/Shutterstock)

The actor recently starred in Mother of the Bride, which was panned as ‘absolutely awful’ as a film but hailed for bringing the heartthrob back into mainstream entertainment.

The actor has teased that he would be willing to return to some of his iconic roles including his character Jake in Freaky Friday.

As luck would have it Freaky Friday 2 film was confirmed last year with Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan both confirmed to lead the cast.

Fingers crossed we will soon be seeing Chad in leather on his motorbike as he returns to his heartthrob roots.

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