Eva Mendes has revealed she had to go into therapy to learn how to deal with fame after starring opposite Will Smith in romantic comedy Hitch in 2005.

Despite a number of smaller roles in films including 2 Fast 2 Furious and Stuck on You in the early part of the decade, Eva found it hard to deal with all the attention she received after Hitch was released.

She explained recently: “The recognition, being famous, call it what you will, that was really difficult for me to deal with. And I thought, I either quit acting - which I’m not prepared to do - or I get some help and some tools to help me deal with the fame and weirdness.”

“And [the therapy] has helped me so much. I really love it and I’m very vocal about it. I see a therapist once a week - or I speak to her if I’m not around. And I want to encourage people to do it: it doesn’t mean you’re out of control - in fact, I think people in therapy are so much more in control.”

“I just think it’s a healthy way to be and even when everything is OK, I still go. It’s great to have somebody who is completely objective coming up with guidelines for you.”

She added that she loved the laid-back Australian approach to life that she experienced when she was making this year’s Ghost Rider in the country: “Oh yes, ‘no worries, mate!’ I wish it was my mantra but I’d be lying. I worry about everything. I’m anxiety-ridden. It comes from my upbringing, my culture and the fact that I’m an actress.”