Weather presenter stops broadcast while suffering panic attack live-on-air-Pierra Willix-Entertainment – Metro

A weather presenter has stopped his broadcast after suffering a panic attack on live television.

ABC News Breakfast presenter Nate Byrne has fronted the Australian TV programme’s weather coverage over the past seven years.

However, on Tuesday he alerted his colleagues and audience to the fact he needed to take a quick break after feeling a panic attack coming on.

While in the middle of reading the weather report for the state of Queensland, he asked to hand back to hosts Lisa Millar and Michael Rowland.

‘I’m actually going to need to stop for a second,’ he said.

‘Some of you may know that I occasionally get affected by some panic attacks, and actually that’s happening right now.

ABC News Breakfast weather presenter Nate Byrne has suffered a panic attack live on air (Picture: ABC)

‘Lisa, maybe I could hand back to you.’

More than happy to take over, Millar mentioned a piece Byrne had written two years ago about experiencing panic attacks on air.

‘Nate wrote a great piece on the ABC online website about this, and I reckon we might re-up it, put it on our socials, so you can have a bit of a read because it’s fantastic that he has been so open and transparent about it,’ she explained.

‘The response when he first wrote about it and spoke about it was that everyone said, “Oh thank god, Nate’s not perfect, we thought he was perfect, but actually he’s now sharing something”.’

She added: ‘So, we will 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 bodies when doing live television.

Later returning, Byrne apologised for briefly having to step out of the studio.

He had to stop his broadcast and ask the hosts to take over (Picture: ABC)

‘Sorry if I gave anybody a bit of a scare,’ he told viewers.

‘You’ve been very honest before about getting panic attacks on air and it’s great for people to know that it can happen to anyone,’ Millar replied, before Rowland jumped in with a joke.

‘Gave me a scare because I thought I’d have to finish doing the weather report,’ he said.

The host later shared a clip of the moment on his social media accounts, reassuring viewers Byrne is feeling much better.

‘You might have seen Nate experience a panic attack earlier this morning while presenting the News Breakfast weather,’ he began.

‘Nate’s open about his panic attacks — he’s even written about them before — and he’s doing okay!

He later returned and apologised for ‘giving people a bit of a scare’ (Picture: ABC)

‘Thank you for all the supportive messages (There have been so many. What a wonderful audience we have!) As a team, we’ll always have your back, Nate. Always. (Although I hope I didn’t make matters worse with my bear hug off-camera…)’

Responding to the post, Byrne commented that he had the ‘best support team’.

He added: ‘Also, ALWAYS more hugs rather than fewer, please!’

Many people also threw their support behind the presenter.

‘Sending love to Nate! Well done to Nate and the team for navigating that so well. We are all human and many of us have been in similar situations. What a beautiful role model you are Nate, honest and authentic,’ Vanessa shared.

‘You are so amazing Nate. Live TV is challenging. Showing your humanity and vulnerability will help others who live with anxiety and panic attacks.’ Sophie posted.

Byrne has worked on the Australian breakfast programme over the past seven years (Picture: Nate Byrne/ Instagram)

Singer Paul Dempsey also wrote: ‘This is awesome. Panic attacks are not. Well done Nate and the whole team.’

In his 2022 piece, Byrne described how his first panic attack happened on live TV, which he labelled as a ‘terrifying experience’.

However, he said it ‘completely reshaped my understanding of mental health’.

Byrne, a Bureau of Meteorology-trained meteorologist, also served in the Australian Navy for 12 years.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

Entertainment – MetroRead More