The Wiggles' Anthony Field's shocking health battle after high-fiving fans
<div>
<div class="replay">
<div class="reply_body body linkify">
<div class="reply_body">
<div class="body_text ">
<p>The Wiggles’ Anthony Field has revealed that he has been struggling with a viral brain condition that he likely contracted from young fans.</p>
<p>Speaking on the <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.who.com.au/anthony-field-viral-meningitis" target="_blank"><em>WHO ARE YOU</em></a> podcast, the singer and musician said the illness left him unable to exercise for up to three years.</p>
<p>“I got viral meningitis, which the doctors say I probably got from the audience, high-fiving children and not using the hand sanitiser,” said Field.</p>
<p>“That was dreadful. It was 2-3 years ago, and now I’ve just started getting back into exercise.”</p>
<blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BtSjhLvg5pa/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_medium=loading" data-instgrm-version="12">
<div style="padding: 16px;">
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div>
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div>
<div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div>
<div style="padding-top: 8px;">
<div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div>
</div>
<p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BtSjhLvg5pa/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_medium=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by The Wiggles (@thewiggles)</a> on Jan 30, 2019 at 11:05pm PST</p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p>The brain lining infection was another struggle for the 55-year-old Blue Wiggle, who has also been battling with clinical depression and anxiety for years.</p>
<p>He said his mental health problem has led him to have extremely negative thoughts and anxiety attacks in the past. “If there’s a big wave at the beach, I’d seriously think everyone’s going to get killed,” he said. </p>
<p>“Crazy stuff like that, if there’s any bump on the plane I’m sure it’s going to go down.</p>
<p>“I’ve been on the Westgate Bridge, I was driving the car and had an anxiety attack where the bridge was rocking and it was going to fall.</p>
<p>“I stopped the car in the middle of the bridge. I was frozen with fear. That’s how bad it was.”</p>
<blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BrY_bWOgJWJ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_medium=loading" data-instgrm-version="12">
<div style="padding: 16px;">
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div>
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div>
<div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div>
<div style="padding-top: 8px;">
<div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div>
</div>
<p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BrY_bWOgJWJ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_medium=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by The Wiggles (@thewiggles)</a> on Dec 14, 2018 at 6:02pm PST</p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p>In a 2018 interview with the ABC’s <em>Anh’s Brush With Fame</em>, Field said the depression that he has been dealing with since his teenage years made him feel isolated, despite the fame from being in the children’s musical group. </p>
<p>“You’re in a crowd with people and you feel like you’re the only person who feels like that. They don’t understand me. No one understands me. No one gets me.”</p>
<p>He said he still enjoyed performing, but struggled once the curtains closed. </p>
<p>“It’s just when you come off stage you were back to being, ‘Jeez!’” he said.</p>
<p>“I’d be in the dressing rooms bloody bawling my eyes out by myself, after you’d just played to, you know, a couple of thousand people.”</p>
<p>In the podcast, Field said he had learnt to manage his conditions since then with medication, therapy sessions, dietary changes and hypnotherapy.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
