Rachel Sheherazade revealed in an interview the difficult moments during her COVID-19 pandemic coverage on SBT Brasil, including a live panic attack. She described the emotional toll of death reports and how she maintained professional composure. The presenter also recalled prejudices faced at the start of her career at the network.
Rachel Sheherazade shared details of a panic attack she suffered while anchoring SBT Brasil, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. In an interview on the Companhia Certa program, hosted by Ronnie Von on RedeTV!, she explained that the barrage of death reports triggered an intense physical reaction on camera. 'That was very painful, showing those deaths. One day I really had a panic attack, I thought my heart was going to stop, that I was going to fall at the desk,' she recounted.
Despite the distress, Sheherazade chose not to show what she was feeling on air, prioritizing her professional image. 'I started thinking like a 'machine': 'it would be a embarrassment for television to fall here at the desk', 'it would be bad for the program', 'it would be bad for the network',' she said. Upon arriving home, she broke down crying, sought medical help, and went to the hospital, with no one aware of the incident at the time.
The discussion also touched on the start of her journalism career at SBT in 2012, when she took the main anchor position. She mentioned facing resistance, including xenophobic comments for being from the Northeast. 'There was a bit of xenophobia, because a Northeasterner arrived and sat in the window seat. I was invited, so I sat in the window seat anyway! 'Who is this who sat in the window seat and thinks she can give opinions?', 'journalists don't give opinions'. Who said?', she recalled, highlighting the early challenges.
