Change Your Brain Every Day Victoria's Secret Angel's Secret Battle: Sara Sampaio on Trichotillomania, Anxiety & the Pressure to Be Perfect
Mar 20, 2026
Sara Sampaio, Portuguese model known for her Victoria's Secret work, shares personal struggles with trichotillomania, persistent anxiety, and industry pressure. She discusses onset of hair-pulling and tics. The conversation covers death anxiety, perfectionism, brain scan insights, and practical coping tools.
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Model's Longstanding Trichotillomania And Tics
- Sara Sampaio described lifelong body-focused repetitive behaviors, starting around age 15 with eyebrow pulling and earlier eye tics and lip picking.
- She links these habits to muscle tension and relief sensations, noting a new thumb tic in recent years.
Grief Triggered New Panic And Death Anxiety
- Sara says anxiety worsened after her grandfather's death and triggered panic attacks and a persistent fear of dying.
- The fear feels overwhelming and unresolved, and she copes by trying not to think about it.
Uncertainty About Afterlife Fuels Anxiety
- Sara confesses the core of her fear is not knowing what happens after death and her lack of religious belief increases that terror.
- She finds reincarnation the most comforting possibility but remains uncertain.