Made in Chelsea star Jamie Laing opens up about "debilitating" tinnitus diagnosis

A debilitating health condition led to Made in Chelsea star Jamie Laing feeling "incredibly anxious".

The reality TV star appeared on ITV's GMB today (January 7) to speak about his diagnosis of tinnitus, which he has been living with for eight years. Speaking to Susanna Reid, the 35-year-old revealed that the anxiety was so bad that he thought he would never sleep again.

Tinnitus is the name for hearing noises that do not come from an outside source - usually in the form of your ears constantly ringing.

Laing said: "When you first get tinnitus they say ‘Well, this is forever, there’s no cure, you’re gonna have to live with it, it doesn’t go. I woke up suddenly and was like ‘What’s that ringing noise?’ I was looking around the flat for the ringing noise and suddenly realised it was coming from inside my head.

"But you have to treat it like aircon or a fan. Or if you go on a summer holiday, and you can hear the crickets, and suddenly they stop at night and you realised there were crickets, you just have to tune out of it.

"You have to realise it’s not harmful. You have to try and forget about it. But it’s incredibly debilitating, it causes anxiety, and anxiety then makes it worse. It’s this vicious cycle, it makes it very hard to sleep. And people have to deal with it around the world and no-one talks about it."

Laing is supporting the Royal National Institute for Deaf People in the upcoming Tinnitus Week awareness campaign. A number of celebrities have spoken openly in the past about their own tinnitus diagnosis - including GMB presenter Susanna Reid.

Many celebrities with tinnitus happen to be musicians, with the likes of Eric Clapton, Will.I.Am, Ozzy Osbourne and Chris Martin all being diagnosed.