Older & bolder

One of our favourite comedians, Helen Lederer, has finally sent imposter syndrome to Room 101

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When I started out as a comedian, I really, really wanted to be successful. In my early 30s, I'd scour the newspapers for TV auditions and call cabaret venues to offer myself up for gigs. Paradoxically, the day of said gig would be spent feeling sick with nerves. So why did I want to be funny in public, if this made me feel like an outsider and terrified of failure?

One of my therapists announced that I had 'above average' anxiety, adding 'for someone who hates authority figures, failure and being humiliated in public, you've chosen a career that would most likely offer all of these'.