Meteorologist’s Panic Attack on Live TV Goes Viral

A meteorologist who was right in the middle of his forecast on live TV went viral this week following his on-air panic attack.

Not only that, but his coworkers are also getting praise for their reaction to the incident.

Meteorologist Nate Byrne was discussing the upcoming rain in the forecast on ABC Australia’s “News Breakfast” when it all started.

“I’m actually going to need to stop for a second,” Byrne says standing in front of a map showing the storm headed toward western Australia. “Some of you may know that I get affected by some panic attacks and that’s happening right now.”

This may not have come as a surprise to some longtime “News Breakfast” viewers who have followed Byrne’s career on TV. He’s previously written about his struggles with panic attacks on the station’s website.

“I had my first-ever panic attack live on TV,” Byrne wrote in 2022. “It was absolutely terrifying and completely reshaped my understanding of mental health.”

Given Byrne’s past with panic attacks, his “News Breakfast” cohost was instantly ready to keep the show moving while turning attention away from the meteorologist.

The camera shifted to Lisa Millar at the anchor desk who kept her composure as she recommended viewers read Byrne’s thoughts on panic attacks shared on the website.

“We might re-up it because he has been fantastic that he has been so open and transparent about it,” Millar said. “And the response when he first wrote about it and spoke about it was everyone said ‘oh, thank God, Nate’s not perfect. We thought he was perfect but actually he’s now sharing something.'”

A clip shared by ABC Australia Instagram also shows how Millar comforted Byrne who wanted to apologize to viewers.

“It’s so great for people to know that it can happen to anyone,” she said.

Instagram comments continue to flood the post as people have been quick to praise both Byrne and Millar.

“This is handled beautifully by both parties,” one commenter said. “So calm, Nate and what a supportive co-worker. My own family aren’t even that patient with me.”

Millar has been hosting “News Breakfast” for the past 5 years. She announced last month that she will be leaving the show to pursue other projects with ABC on Aug. 23.

Source: ABC Australia