Sex Education's Aimee Lou Wood has opened up about how fame left her feeling overwhelmed

'I started crying.'

Sex Education star Aimee Lou Wood attends BFI London Film Festival
(Image credit: Stuart C. Wilson / Stringer / Getty)
Amy Sedghi
By Amy Sedghi
published

British actor Aimee Lou Wood plays one of the most beloved characters in Netflix show Sex Education, but in a recent interview the star got candid about the impact of fame behind the scenes, and how the attention from the popular series left her feeling overwhelmed.

Speaking about winning the 2021 Bafta TV Award for Female Performance in a Comedy Programme in her role as Aimee Gibbs, the 27-year-old said she tried to take it in her stride but ended up bursting into tears.

She also recalled a meeting with a director, which had ended with her in tears, while talking to Elle. She said: "I had all these amazingly eloquent things planned to say about his films. Then he said, 'Hello.' And I started crying."

Aimee began seeing a therapist back in 2020, according to the feature, and it helped to reassure her about these moments of intense feelings. And it's not the first time Aimee has been open about her mental health.

In a 2020 interview with Glamour magazine, she spoke about how she had suffered with body dysmorphia and eating disorders for most of her life.

She credited Sex Education, with its masturbation and sex scenes, for helping her with her body image. She explained: "Sex Ed helped me a lot kind of in that aspect of my life because I knew it wasn't gratuitous and I knew it was always helping the story along...I never would have thought in a million years that I will be able to do that. 

"I have suffered with body dysmorphia my whole life. I remember before the first sex scene, I thought, 'Right, okay. I'll start eating salads every day, and I just didn't. That was such a turning point for me, making that decision to go, 'Actually, I'm not going to alter how my body looks before this scene because this is how my body looks.'"

In her recent interview, Aimee also touched on the support she and the rest of the cast provide to each other.

"We love cheering each other on. People will say things like, 'Can it be a bit competitive and catty in the green room?' and I’m like, 'Are you joking? Not at all.'"

We can't wait to see more of Aimee in the next season.

Amy Sedghi
Amy Sedghi

Amy Sedghi is a freelance journalist, specialising in health and fitness, travel, beauty, sustainability and cycling.

Having started her career in The Guardian newsroom working with an award-winning team, Amy's proud to have reported on a variety of topics, speaking to a range of voices and travelling far and wide to do so. From interviews on ski lifts to writing up breaking stories outside courtrooms, Amy is used to reporting from a range of locations (she’s even been known to type up a story in a tent).

She also loves being active, spending time outdoors and travelling - with some of her favourite features she’s worked on combining all three. Cycling and eating her way round the Isle of Man, learning to sail on the Côte d'Azur and traversing the Caminito del Rey path in Spain are just some of her highlights.

Covering a diverse range of subjects appeals to Amy. One minute she may be writing about her online styling session with Katie Holmes’ stylist and the next she’s transporting readers to the basketball courts of Haringey where she joined a group trying to lower knife crime in the capital.

While at university, Amy was awarded The Media Society bursary. Following her stint at the Guardian, Amy worked at Google and as well as writing for Marie Claire, she regularly contributes interviews, features and articles to National Geographic Traveller, The Guardian, The Independent, The Telegraph, Stylist, Refinery29, Glorious Sport, Cycling Weekly and Rouleur.

When she’s not writing, Amy can be found trying to get through her towering stack of books-to-read, cycling down at Herne Hill Velodrome or looking for the next place to eat and drink with friends.

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