Jimmy Carr still has a panic attack every morning at 5am

This led to him being called “morally reprehensible” by then Prime Minister David Cameron at the time- and he still wakes up in a cold sweat because of it.

Speaking in his autobiography ‘Before & Laughter’ which is being serialised by the Daily Mail newspaper, Carr said: “I still wake up to a panic attack every morning, around 5am.

"The disruption to my sleep pattern has stayed with me.

“I had an incredibly visceral response to being publicly shamed.

“I was having panic attacks, I wasn't sleeping, it was overwhelming, I could barely function.

“All I could do was wander zombie-like through the week.”

The ‘8 Out of 10 Cats’ star was so concerned about how it would potentially impact on his reputation that he feared he’d never be able to do stand-up again.

He added: “For me, the worry was less about the money and more about no longer being a comedian.

“Being someone that people come and see perform live is a privileged position.

“And that privilege is not for ever.

“I genuinely wondered if I'd ever be allowed to do stand-up again.

“When shame is a part of an experience, it's hard to feel like you have a right to anything.”

And he heaped particular praise on ‘The Late Late Show’ host James Corden, who got in touch “just to check in” when Carr “wasn’t in great shape”.

He said: “James Corden called me around midnight that same day the story hit the papers.

“He was doing a Broadway run of his play ‘One Man, Two Guvnors’.

“He rang, just to check in, no judgement, just called to cheer me up.

“I wasn't in great shape.

“And then the next night, he called again.

“And the next night.

“He was and is a f***ing great guy.

“And frankly, I needed it.

"James Corden is a mensch.

“So, a lesson I learned is if a friend is going through hard times, call, text, reach out.

“People don't forget those friends.

“And if you don't know what to say, just say, 'I don't know what to say.'

“It's all good.”