British pop star Cheryl Cole struggles with bouts of crippling anxiety as she tries to cope with the "intense pressure" of her solo career.

The singer has had three number one hits in the U.K. since Girls Aloud went on hiatus in 2009, but she admits the strain of being in the spotlight on her own is terrifying.

In her Tv documentary Cheryl: Access All Areas, which aired in the U.K. on Tuesday (20Nov12), Cole reveals the stress was particularly severe in September (12) as she prepared for her recent tour.

She explains, "I do have anxiety, and I haven't even had coffee yet. Coffee gives you anxiety. I need to get (sic) the point of why I have anxiety. You know when you go through (your problems) and you figure out why it is happening...

"You feel really vulnerable doing something so big for the first time. It's my show at the end of the day, it's gonna be my name that's up there in the lights. It's gonna be my show that's reviewed. It's all on you so it has to be exactly right and that pressure is intense."

The Fight For This Love also told how being chased by snappers also causes her to panic.

Cole says, "I outrun the paps (paparazzi) in six-inch heels!... Personally when I was going through (my divorce) and they were following and in my face all the time, that's what I associate with them. So now I do anything I can to avoid them getting a picture. It's to their benefit but it gives me anxiety. We do it regularly, but my heart (beats) like crazy."