Rita Ora has a new Q/A style interview with the Guardian to promote Southpaw, which already came and went in theaters in July. It made a little money, although I don’t know if Jake Gyllenhaal will receive the Oscar nod he was going for. And I didn’t hear anything, positive or negative, about Rita’s appearance in the film. Harvey Weinstein said she was “breathtaking“ in it, but Harvey tends to be easily enthused, especially when it comes to making someone wear Marchesa on the red carpet. Here’s some excerpts from Rita’s interview:
Her greatest fear: “Playing hide and seek in a cemetery in Earl’s Court when I was seven – no one found me and I thought I was going to get stolen by ghosts.”
Her most embarrassing moment: “My first ‘nip slip,’ at Lovebox, 2009.”
Her most prized possession: “My new dog, Cher. She’s a maltipoo.”
Her screensaver: “An old Versace campaign with Cindy Crawford and Claudia Schiffer.”
Her least favorite body part: “My butt and my upper thighs.”
Who would play you in the film of your life?: “Julianne Moore. She is beautiful.”
Have you ever said, ‘I love you’ and not meant it?: “Yes – I am not going to lie.”
Her ideal dinner party: “Blondie, Tina Turner, David Bowie and Michelle Obama.”
If she could go back in time: “To Kosovo and stop the war.”
Her greatest honor: “Getting an honorary ambassadorship from the president of Kosovo in July.”
How often she has sex: “As much as I can.
Her biggest fear: “Death is my biggest phobia. I used to have panic attacks when I was little, saying, ‘Mum, I don’t want to die.’ I’ve been to therapy and still try to go every week.”
[From The Guardian]
I feel for her on the anxiety issue. There are few things more immediately confusing and terrifying than a panic attack. The symptoms mimic so many other (very dangerous) physical ailments, so it’s good that Rita found help. Regular therapy can also help some people (although it doesn’t make a blip for others). Does anyone else find it hilarious that Rita namedropped her first nipslip as her most embarrassing moment? She seems to remember the exact time and place that it happened, right down to the outfit. When cameras are flashing, perhaps it’s easier to have the mortification burned into one’s memory. Poor Rita, but she’ll be fine.
Photos courtesy of WENN
I’ve had panic attacks for as long as I can remember. Good for her for speaking out. This issue needs all the attention.
So many people still down play anxiety and panic attacks, they think this is only caused by people who abuse substances but it can happen to anyone.
I had my first attack at 13. I thought I was dying. Luckily my mother, who has anxiety herself, was there to help. My father, on the other hand, is very much one of those people who think anxiety can just be gotten over or that it’s for attention. Last year we were at an amusement park and just as we were about to get on a roller coaster (something that usually doesn’t bother me too much), I had an attack. Couldn’t breathe, lightheaded, shaking, the works. My dad actually said, “Come on, why do you always do this when we’re trying to have fun?” And unfortunately, a LOT of people see anxiety and panic attacks this way, as if it’s a choice. I’ll support anyone who wants to talk about this issue honestly and bring attention to it.
@Goats I think my dad thought pretty much the same thing until he saw me have a really bad one at home. I was making noises he’d never heard before, throwing up in the sink, just the worst attack I’ve ever had. He’s been very respectful (and probably terrified) of me ever since.
@ KB
I know exactly what you mean.
My partner saw me have an attack during the first few months of our relationship, and we were both college students at the time. I assumed he would think I was crazy or dramatic… but instead he recognized the genuine fear in my eyes, and I’m sure he was fearful too as I hyperventilated and collapsed. He understood immediately.
@ Goats on the Roof (…great name, by the way)
… meanwhile, my roommates witnessed my most severe attack (exactly like the one KB described) and had a reaction similar to your dad. Rolling their eyes, ignoring me, asking later if I was trying to get attention. All while I thought I was literally dying in front of them. They also still use “panic attack” flippantly, when they really mean “getting really nervous about something”. It’s semantics to them, and it’s clear that some people will never have the empathy or will to understand.
I’m really sorry you don’t get the support you need from your dad, but I’m glad you have your mom. It’s priceless to have the support of someone who’s been there and can not only support you, but walk you through it.
My father didn’t understand my anxiety either, but his mother and brother were the same way, so I think it just freaked him out. My mom totally got it and I got help at age 18, but my pre-teen and teenage years were extra Hellish because of it.
My first was at 36, out of nowhere while trying to go to sleep. A day later I had an even worse one while finishing up at work. I had someone take me to the emergency room and the whole ride there I was freaking out. When we got to the hospital I walked right past the admissions desk, grabbed a doctor and told him I thought I was having a heart attack. They did tests and at the end he handed me a script for some Xanax and told me to have a good night in a condescending tone. I was in a good place at the time and to this day have no idea what set it off. Very frightening experience that I never want to repeat.
Anxiety is ever present though, even at the smallest levels and those that don’t suffer from it don’t understand it. @Goats on the Roof, like your Dad my husband doesn’t understand it either. Not that he accuses me of making anything up, he just is someone who has never had an issue with anxiety and can’t relate.
The issue does need more attention and it has surprised me how many people I know that suffer from it. It’s more common than people think and shouldn’t just be dismissed as something made up or “just in our heads”. It can be debilitating, and honestly I envy those that don’t suffer from it. It holds you back from so much. I have found distraction to be the best thing to fight off an attack. Getting my mind on something else whether the tv, reading, or talking to someone about anything will usually do the trick and the anxiety will pass without having a panic attack. Doctors are becoming more hesitant to prescribe anything due to so many people abusing meds and using them recreationally. I’ve been taking Formula 303 at night which is a time anxiety can rear it’s head the most, and it helps me get to sleep and have a restful night. It’s an all natural supplement made from Magnesium, Passiflora and Valerian Root that I’d recommend someone giving a try. It’s for tension, stress and muscle spasm but after reading many reviews where anxiety suffers said it helped them I decided to give it a try. They don’t smell too great, but for me they work.
I’ve always been quite anxious but never had a panic attack until last year. It was terrifying, I thought I was dying. I had two others after that and was anxious all the time. It got really bad over the weeks and I ended up taking meds every day for seven months. I still go to therapy but I feel good now. I’m really lucky to have friends and family that understood and helped me. One thing I noticed is that so many people suffer from anxiety but often don’t talk about it. Sadly, anxiety is still seen as weird, shameful and something you could get over easily if you really tried.
I have always been an anxious, worrying, hypochondriac. I thought I had breast cancer when I was 10, turned out I was just getting boobs lol. A few years ago I started having terrible insomnia which led to panic attacks which convinced me I was DYING. I drove my poor husband crazy for about 6 months, recovered and it happened again. I chalk all my anxiety/hypochondria up to having a pretty traumatic childhood. Bless all you fellow panic sisters for sharing your stories. Its nice to know you aren’t alone because it can feel very isolating when you are going through it.
@Nicolette : Distraction helps me too. You actually reminded me of something that happened to me a few months ago. I was at school, it was 8 am and I felt the beginning of a panic attack. I was in a room with only 5 or 6 people, no one I knew. I went to the girl next to me and told her something like “I have anxiety and feel really bad right now, I’d totally understand if you found me weird but it would help me to talk to someone”. I thought she was going to laugh at my face but she was very nice and we talked for about an hour. It was very moving to me, this stranger helping me fight an attack.
I’m glad you were able to find someone to help you. That a stranger was willing to take the time to talk you through that shows they must be a very caring, empathetic person. And yes, I’ve found distraction to be a big help. Some of my friends and my daughter are fellow sufferers, and we all know we can pick up the phone and call one another and ask to talk us through. As with any issue, having understanding people as a support system is everything.
Like all of you, I can relate. My issues with anxiety peaked and really took my life off track once I hit about 13. I began seeing a psychiatrist and was prescribed a medication that didn’t do anything but make me a zombie. I ended up not graduating high school conventionally because of it. I missed out on a lot of things because of it. I also felt like a freak because no one around me understood or went through what I was going through. Looking back I was an anxious child. My “back to school jitters” were practically full of nervous breakdowns. I was always anxious or afraid. Anxiety is such an ugly and debilitating thing.
I still have my issues here and there but I’ve learned what ways of dealing with it work for me and for the most part I’ve got it under wraps. The years when it wasn’t under control were the worst of my life and I wouldn’t wish them on anyone. Best wishes to all of you who are still in the thick of it or even occasionally dealing with, I know how bad it can be.
Her answer to the ‘go back in time’ question is so poignant and sad. She obviously still feels deeply for Kosovo. I’m not a fan of Rita’s, but her voice is beautifully powerful.
Rita CAN SING. I dislike her for that very reason – they are selling her as this soulless, bland, generic sexy star while she actually has the talent to be a serious artist. She just doesnt have the charisma to be a pop star. She’s forgettable. But as a more serious, adult-oriented R&B artist who capitalizes in talent instead of media appearances, she’d be very good.
clinical anxiety is such a killer. I work with people who have it and a lot of times there are people in their lives that tell them to get over it. It’s awful
And I’m not sure how Rita is breathtaking in Southpaw…she’s in one scene prominently basically. She’s in 50 Shades more than that
Once I was being prepared for an MRI unrelated to my anxiety, but the tech had seen anxiety in my paperwork and asked me about it.
He said “I feel anxious all the time. I have anxiety, I just push through it.” It was so disheartening that someone in the medical community could be so ignorant. In the politest way I could I responded, “Of course. Everyone experiences anxiety in their daily lives. It’s when that anxiety is debilitating and unfounded or out of proportion to the situation that it becomes a problem.”
In my head I was thinking “you’re such an a**.” But I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told the exact same thing.
@ KB
What a fantastic response. I have too much social anxiety to come up with fitting and rational answers like that… but yes, there’s a huge difference between leading a stressful life or being nervous frequently and losing control over your mind and body. Some people just don’t get it. I’m sorry you had to experience that in a medical setting.
Ugh.. People just don’t get it. I’m sure a lot of people who suffer from severe and chronic anxiety have tried to simply “push through” it at some point, with terrible results (I know I have tried my best, and all it did was leave me suicidal). I guess it’s natural to want to relate to and understand what other people are going through, and I think a lot of people mean well, but they need to realize that it’s simply impossible to imagine an emotion you’ve never experienced.
Its terrible. I work with children and teens and a lot of the issues come from their own homes. Its really difficult to help someone that has parents telling them to suck it up. When they can barely ask a question in class without debilitating fear. Its what leads to adults crippled by their anxiety. Mental health is such a problem because people don’t want to address it, we shame people for suffering a silent disorder, and we have a way of life that doesn’t “allow” us to suffer without falling behind.
*sigh*
@Brittney B Weekly therapy for several years now has really altered the way I view my anxiety. Initially I didn’t want anyone to know, I was so ashamed of it. But now, I wear it like a badge. “I was born and raised in Texas, I’m left-handed, and I have an anxiety disorder with obsessive compulsive tendencies.” Lol I’ve come to realize that I would rather suffer from anxiety for the rest of my life than be the kind of person that is unable/unwilling to look at the world through someone else’s eyes.
@Alex I think we just don’t have a proper picture of what anxiety looks like. People hear depression, they think of suicide, they hear schizophrenia they think of, well God only knows what some people think of, but they hear anxiety and they think “I was anxious about that presentation yesterday, but I did it anyways.”
I wish they had PSAs where they show a person with anxiety facing X, Y, or Z while we hear the actual thoughts going through that person’s head. Or show regular people facing their biggest fears like heights, snakes, etc. and then showing someone with anxiety having that same level of fear about going to school in the morning.
Rita irritates me but I feel like people can very over the top when it comes to her (D Listed and Jezebel can be more than snarky and leap to being super, super mean about her). She at least has a decent voice unlike half of our pop starlets out there right now. I feel with her for the anxiety, too.
I agree. I didn’t know anything about her other than she had a famewhore/slutty rep (when she split from Rob Kardashian ‘rita whora’ trended) and everyone keeps saying she is desperate to make it etc – but i watched a couple of interviews and she seems like a cool person. I don’t get the dislike? Is it because she has boyfriends, likes sex and doesn’t hide it? That men find her attractive and once they’ve had a go they turn around and call her slutty? What’s the story with her and calvin harris?
And yes, she is talented! I just wish she would stop acting. That 50 Shades cameo was embarrassing. What was the point of a 0.3 second appearance?
I can totally relate to the anxiety part and the fear of death. I’m actually tired of celebrities and people in general stating that death isn’t something to fear.
Yes! I get small existential crises about death as well… sometimes I don’t understand how people can just go about and not think about it? I guess religion helps for some, but for the rest of us? I’ve considered going to therapy about it, but I’m not sure if someone can actually help me with that, haha.
I think the difference is that many American celebrities are religious, and therefore are ok with death because God exists, but Rita being Albanian, I’m guessing she’s an atheist (or agnostic), so she doesn’t have that comfort.
I really like what she said about going back in time amd stopping the war.
Go ahead, Rita. No shame in that game. Mental health is essential for overall health. Feel no stigma.
I guess as long as she likes Bowie she is ok
Am I the only one annoyed that she said Blondie rather than Debbie Harry? I guess there’s a slight chance she wants the entire band but I highly doubt it. Ugh.
I do have anxiety and get nervous about almost everything – i’m very shy so it’s hard to go into a lot of social situations – but i do it because i have to and i downplay my shyness/anxiety a lot. I haven’t ever told anybody. I tell people that i hate public speaking but i don’t tell them just how much i dread it, because i feel really stupid and everyone else seems to do it so easily.
However, a few months ago i had an appointment that was going to be really awkward and possibly a big impact on my life and the night before i got myself into such a panic that i was pacing around my house at around 1am trying to think of scenarios in how it could go. It was so weird. I’m usually quite a chill and logical person – i know everything is going to be okay even if i am nervous about things – but this night i was super anxious and i just had to have a talk with myself and tried to calm down, which i did. If that was in any way similar to a full on panic attack then i feel so sorry for those who suffer from them badly. It really isn’t something to be dismissed.
It’s similar but the part of talking to yourself to calm down doesn’t work, because the words doesn’t come out and the brain is too hyper accelerated to reason up, but that it’s just my experience. It’s something like, the brain decides when it will stop. Hope things’s gone ok in your appointment.
Thanks, as with most things in life, it all worked out in the end and wasn’t as scary as i imagined it to be. Oh to be blessed with an IDGAF attitude!
She USED to have panic attacks and TRIES to go to therapy. Another attention grab.
If I could go back in time, I would have stopped the Armenian genocide and maybe there would have been no Hitler.
That sounds awful.
I feel different about her now that I have seen how vindictive and petty Calvin Harris is.
I used to think he was a nice guy and she was all to blame for the mess that was their break up.
I don’t know why this girl is a “thing”. Her music career did not do well here. She’s just known for the men she dates…she’s never single. I know more about her love life than music career and that’s not a good thing.
She’s single right now …
Isn’t she dating Wiz Khalifa right now?
My first anxiety attack was my early teens and unfortunately therapy has never really worked for me. My 9 yrs old son just started having anxiety/panic attacks thankfully therapy his bringing the frequency of them down and it helps that I have them myself and his father (having dealt with my attacks for 10 years) is completely sympathetic and knows how to handle them.