Bressie: "Losing your privacy is a tough thing to deal with"

Bressie is one the most recognisable faces in the country, but the Voice Of Ireland judge admits that fame isn't necessarily all positive.

The Mullingar man sat down with HP's Stuart Clark recently, and was straightforward and honest about his anxiety issues.

"I went from being in the Blizzards, who maybe 10% of the population knew, to not being able to walk down the street without someone stopping me," he says. "People think you're being a moody old gobshite. However, losing all your privacy is a tough thing to deal with."

The pressure has even caused Bressie to suffer a series of panic attacks:

"The first time it happened was during a live Voice Of Ireland. Kathryn Thomas was coming across to me and I couldn't breathe. I was like, 'Jesus Christ, what's fucking happening?' She knew something was wrong and steered the conversation away from me. During the ads I splashed some water on my face and managed to get to the end of the show, but it crippled me for months, knowing that I was that close to breaking down on national TV. The album, Rage & Romance, is all about me coming out the other side."

In this revealing interview, Bressie also chats about his thoughts on The Voice, marijuana legalisation and music piracy.

Read the entire interview in our new magazine, out now. Order this issue