In interviews with People Magazine and “Good Morning America,” Clay Aiken talks about his battle with anxiety and the pertinent rumours of his sexuality.

The “American Idol” season two runner up says while he has no fears on stage, off stage he is plagued with panic attacks.

“I’d walk into a room and say to myself, ‘I am not going to have a problem when these people stare at me. But then [in] that situation, my heart would start pumping, and I’d start sweating and looking around nervously and shaking. I felt like I was going to have a heart attack,” the singer tells People.

Aiken says he eventually got the attacks under control with the help of Paxil, a medication with helps to calm down panic attacks. However, he has relocated from California back to his hometown of Raleigh, N.C. to help him relax a bit.

Despire rumours that the singer is gay, he touched on the subject but did not confirm or deny the reports.

“What do you say [to that question]? It’s like when I was eight. I remember something would get broken in the house, and Mom and Dad would call me in and say, ‘Did you do this?’ Well, it didn’t matter what I said. The only thing they would believe was yes… People are going to believe what they want.”






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