Dove Cameron Opens Up About Feeling Overwhelmed by Phone Anxiety After Her Dad’s Tragic Passing

Dove Cameron in Los Angeles in June 2024.
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Dove Cameron Discusses Phone Anxiety Linked to Father’s Death

In a candid discussion on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, actress and singer Dove Cameron revealed her struggles with "major phone anxiety," stemming from the traumatic experience of learning about her father’s death via telephone. Cameron’s father died by suicide when she was just 15 years old, a loss that has profoundly impacted her since.

During the episode, released on February 4, Cameron recounted how she received the heartbreaking news. A family friend contacted her while her mother was away, inquiring about her whereabouts. "I just knew," Cameron reflected, emphasizing the unusual nature of the conversation. "I can’t tell you why I knew. But it was not a normal interaction."

Cameron later described the moment her mother learned the devastating news that her father, Phil, "is no longer with us." "I had a panic attack because it’s the most out-of-control feeling you can have," she said. The memories of her past losses, all of which have come through phone calls, contribute to her ongoing anxiety.

"I ran out of the room," she recalled, adding, "I couldn’t breathe." She further explained, "You are fight, flight, or freeze. You feel like you’re going to vomit your soul — I don’t know how else to describe it."

Cameron, known for her roles in Descendants and Schmigadoon!, shared her experience of grappling with trauma during a conversation about her recent debut album, Alchemical Vol. 1. She noted that her friends and family often expressed concern about her well-being due to her deep immersion in work at a young age.

Reflecting on her emotional journey, she commented, "I had to go into the attic of all of the stuff I hadn’t dealt with and go through them and look at them and put it down on paper. It was really, really good for me as a human being."

Having also lost two close friends, Cameron described a crucial transition in her twenties: confronting her unaddressed feelings in what she calls an "emotional spring-cleaning."

Dove Cameron in Los Angeles in June 2024.

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Dove Cameron in Paris in September 2023.

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