Celebs with Stage Fright

Who would've thought that the Queen of Pop is suffering from stage fright? She seemed to have everything that a girl would ever dream of: fame, beauty, talent and riches.

In an interview with mag Dazed & Confused, Madonna said: “I have moments where I feel incredibly invincible and know that I have the audience in my hand — I know that everything is absolutely perfect.And then I have panic attacks where I feel like everyone is breathing my air and I cannot live up to everybody’s expectations and I might just die on stage.”

Performance Anxiety : A Success Story

A Soprano Singer talks about her experience with performance anxiety and how she managed to overcome it.

She shares her fears, feelings and dreams of becoming an Opera Singer.

Strategies for Public Speakers

Whether you are preparing for a poetry reading class, a project presentation in front of your colleagues, or making that speech for your best friend's wedding, public speaking may be an inescapable part of your everyday life.

You may find yourself panicking right before your speech starts. No matter how prepared you are, you sometimes feel that hyperactive butterflies inside your stomach. Increased heartbeat, sweaty palms, dry throat and the list goes on...

Here are some strategies for public speaking:

1. Know your audience and tailor fit your speech according to your audience. Make sure that your points are relevant and that your comments are relevant to the group you're speaking to. For example, if you are speaking to a group of teenagers, tailor your comments to items like driving your first car or being at school – rather than references to social security or what it's like to have your children leave home for the first time.

2. Don't Be Late! By arriving earlier than the set schedule you will have ample time to familiarise yourself with your audience as well as the venue. And by checking the venue, you will avoid experiencing technical difficulties while you make that big speech.

3. Don't Eat Before Performing. If you tend to get nausea or butterflies in your stomach, then it is best to not have anything in there to begin with. Avoid food for at least two hours before performing.

Video: Overcoming the Fear of Public Speaking

A lot of us dread the thought of speaking in front of the public. Public speaking is just not on the top of the list of fun things to do for most people.

Here's a video clip of an interview with Mike Aguillera, a communication expert that talks about tips on how to overcome fear of public speaking.

Stage Fright Quiz

Does the thought of performing in front of a group of people make your palms sweat and your knees shake?

If so, you may have stage fright. The good news is, you're not alone. Many famous people, including actors, singers, and other public figures, have battled with stage fright at some point in their lives.

Click here to take the celebrity stage fright quiz and find the celebrity who shares your stage fright struggles.

Celebs with Stage Fright Part 2

Here's another round of celebrities who've fought the battle with stage fright



Gibson had caught the acting bug by the time he reached college age, and studied at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney, Australia, despite what he describes as a crippling ordeal with stage fright. Luckily, this was something he overcame relatively quickly -- Gibson was still a student when he filmed Summer City. After his graduation, he quickly found work playing supporting roles for the South Australia Theatre Company.




Rod Stewart had such a bad case of stage fright during one concert that he sang an entire song while hiding behind a speaker stack. In 1968, the Rod Stewart-fronted Jeff Beck Group made its U.S. debut at New York's Fillmore East theater. Stewart was so nervous that he sang the entire first song from behind a stack of speakers.



Barbara Streisand stopped performing live for almost three decades after forgetting the lyrics to one of her songs during a 1967 Central Park concert. "Some performers really do well when they forget the words," Streisand told Diane Sawyer recently. "They forget the words all the time, but they somehow have humor about it. I remember I didn't have a sense of humor about it. I was quite shocked."