Soap actress Lisa Riley has opened up on her hidden battle as she suffered panic attacks when she first shot to fame when joining Emmerdale as Mandy Dingle in the 90s

Actress Lisa Riley suffered a secret health battle(Image: Getty Images for the NTA’s)

Emmerdale star Lisa Riley has revealed she had a secret battle after shooting to fame in the 1990s. The 49-year-old actress shot to stardom as the bolshy “tart with a hart” Mandy Dingle in the ITV soap.

She joined the cast in 1995, and quickly became part of photoshoots and interviews to promote her storyline. Lisa has now revealed that she struggled to cope with seeing her face on the front cover of glossy magazines and that it took its toll on her.

The TV star was part of a storyline in which Mandy tried to win the heart of Dave Glover (Ian Kelsey), who ultimately rejected her for Kim Tate (Claire King). What many would think would be a career highlight, Lisa was left having panic attacks.

Lisa has been playing Mandy on Emmerdale for years

Lisa told the new issue of Woman magazine: “I remember being in the supermarket, and I was on the cover of every magazine with the Mandy and Dave Glover storyline.

“I felt claustrophobic and started to have panic attacks. Me, [and EastEnders stars] Patsy Palmer and Martine McCutcheon were the tabloid ‘faces of soap’ and were followed everywhere like pop stars.

“Initially, it was hard.” Lisa did not seek therapy to help deal with her fame, but instead, she just plowed on. She turned to her mum, who she called her “rock” and told her “to keep going”.

Thankfully, Lisa hasn’t had a panic attack “for years” and has turned her experience into wisdom for her cast members. She revealed how the young stars on Emmerdale have now come to her for advice and call her “Nana”.

Lisa admitted the attention the actors face now is different as “the trolls are so vitriolic”. As Mandy is a legendary character in Emmerdale, some people think Lisa is like her alter ego.

However, Lisa confessed her real life is far from Mandy’s as she prefers sipping a mint tea in the corner rather than shots. She said she “lives vicariously through Mandy” so doesn’t feel like she’s missing out.

Lisa left Emmerdale in 2001 to host the hit home video show You’ve Been Framed!, but she made a permanent comeback to the soap in 2019.

And Lisa still adores playing Mandy after 30 years, admitting she’s “never got bored of her”. She added: “Mandy has always been about the three L’s – loveable, lashes and leopard print!”

Earlier this year, Lisa told us how she had therapy again following the death of her friend and Strictly Come Dancing partner Robin Windsor. Robin was sadly was found dead in a London hotel on 18th February 2024.

Lisa emotionally told us: “I’d never had therapy since losing my mum in 2012. However, with Robin, I had to start having therapy. It really does work.

“I lost mum, then Robin, and two and half months after Robin we lost my aunt suddenly when she was on holiday. She died having dinner. It was awful.”

Playing Mandy has been a comfort to Lisa as she explained: “I put Mandy Dingle’s lashes on and kept going – that’s exactly what I did with my mum. That was my coping mechanism.”