Emma Stone has revealed how she overcame crippling panic attacks as a child by embracing acting.
The Help star felt unable to leave her mother's side until she decided to focus on the arts after she was cast in a school play at the tender age of six.
She told Bliss magazine: "It hit me really hard. It freaked me out and I couldn’t leave my mom’s side, but then I remembered how good it felt to be on stage. I met other people like me, who liked the same things I liked. It became this place where I could be myself and express myself."
Stone is fast becoming one of the most popular female stars in Hollywood - boys want to date her and girls want to be her best friend.
Last month in London she sparkled at the premiere of The Amazing Spider-Man, in which she stars as Peter Parker's girlfriend Gwen Stacy, her highest-profile role yet.
And last year Stone reached the A-List ranks of fame, after playing two highly-likeable characters in two of 2011's most commercially successful films.
As Skeeter in The Help, a bright Southern girl seeking civil rights for the black women in her community by telling their stories in a novel, Stone won both critical acclaim - scooping a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress and winning a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Cast - and more fans.
Her popularity was also recognised last month when, at the MTV Movie Awards, Stone was awarded with the first-ever Trailblazer Award for her wildly successful career - all this at the age of 23 - and her ability to connect with audiences.
PHOTOS: Take a look at Emma's career highlights in photos below...
