Actress Jessie Buckley has said therapy has been a “brilliant” force in her life.

The star of Chernobyl has struggled with anxiety but has begun to come to terms with her fears.

Buckley said that seeking help has aided her work as an actress, allowing honesty in her own life and also when she is in character.

The Irish talent spoke to ES Magazine about overcoming her adolescent anxieties.

Jessie Buckley
Buckley has praised the impact of therapy (Ian West/PA)

She said of receiving therapy: “It’s harder when you’re away filming, because you have to build that relationship up.

“But I bloody love it. It’s been brilliant for me. It’s about being honest. There’s no point pretending.

“If I don’t do that in my own life, how the hell am I meant to play somebody else’s?”

Buckley has achieved on-screen success with hit drama Chernobyl and BBC prime-time period epic War And Peace.

The Rada graduate has said her early mental battles have mellowed, as she has learned to deal with her fears.

She said: “It’s definitely better, but I’m still human. I still have days when I get sad.

“And I get days when I get happy, and I get days when I get scared. But now I feel the things.

“I’m not frightened of them, actually they’re all important.

“You’ve just got to accept them, invite them in and say: ‘Have a cup of tea and what’s going on?’, instead of trying to repress them, which I probably did when I was young, because I was scared of them.”

Buckley stars in Judy, a biopic of Judy Garland, opposite Renee Zellweger. The film due to be released in early October.

The full interview with the actress can be read in ES Magazine, out now.