Los Angeles, Mar 10 (IANS): American television host Carson Daly has opened up about his battle with anxiety and says sometimes his panic attacks were so bad that he felt he was dying.

Daly likened his panic attacks to a "saber-tooth tiger" that wants to "kill" him, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

The 44-year-old said he has been fighting anxiety since he was a young child as he always used to "worry". He has said the attacks can sometimes be so bad that he "feels like (he's) dying".

"I was a worrywart kid. I was always worrying. My father died when I was five. I had an ulcer when I was in high school. I've been nervous my whole life.

"At times I feel like there's a saber-tooth tiger right here and it's going to kill me, attack me and bite my head off. I'm scared as if that's really happening. You feel like you're dying," he said.

The "Voice" host, who has children Jackson, eight, Etta, five, and London, three, with his wife Siri Pinter, was diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), which is characterised as "persistent worrying or anxiety about a number of areas that are out of proportion to the impact of the events".

But the star said his battle with GAD wasn't brought on by his "high pressure" career choice.

"People think, 'Oh, he has anxiety. High pressure life. You know, you're on television.' It has nothing to do with that. I've had heightened anxiety and mild panic attacks at the playground with my own children and wife there. The feeling was so gripping and so terrifying that literally I had to leave and excuse myself," he said.