iCarly star Jennette McCurdy has opened up about the ‘hellish’ time she suffered on the Nickelodeon show ahead of its epic comeback.
The 28-year-old TV star played Sam Puckett on the pre-teen show and from 2007 to 2014, but the experience made her resent her life as she explained on her podcast, Empty Inside.
Jennette admitted that growing up on the Nickelodeon show caused her mental health to suffer, and her self-image was drastically impacted as a result.
The child star revealed that she struggled to play a character that was so different from who she actually was and shooting to fame for her role as Sam left her feeling ‘ashamed’.
Chatting with filmmakers Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, Jennette told listeners that she was ‘deeply unhappy’ while on the show.
“I was a famous 19-year-old but I was deeply unhappy. I really resented my life,” the star explained.
“It's a difficult thing to say because the shows that I was on were so loved by so many people and so many kids. I hear constantly that, 'You made my childhood,' and I think it's great that they had that experience but that just was not my experience."
Jenette went on to insist that the show was ‘pointless and shallow’ and admitted that she struggled hugely with shame and guilt during her time on set.
“It just was hellish, I think, is not too intense of a word. Nobody really knew me. I was very different from the character I was playing. I'm known as a thing that I'm not."
Jennette's negative experiences on iCarly drove her to quit her career as an actress, and the former TV star has since admitted that she never wanted to pursue a career on-screen in the first place.
“I needed to walk away for my mental health and for my overall peace. I resent my career in a lot of ways.”
The show first debuted in 2007, but iCarly bosses have rebooted the show – much to the delight of its adoring fans.
Last week, iCarly star Reed Alexander spoke to CNN about the reboot, saying it felt natural to be back together with the cast after all this time.
"The response to the show coming back has been nothing short of amazing. 'iCarly' has stayed so culturally relevant for millions of viewers that it's exciting to see, after almost a decade, that the anticipation and enthusiasm that's carried over from the original series has exploded online in the past few weeks with the announcement of its revival.”
Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at webcelebs@trinitymirror.com or call us direct 0207 29 33033.
