Social media star Eric Roberts has spoken out about starring in Netflix’s Squid Game: The Challenge – revealing he had to go to therapy after being on the show.

And the Donegal star said he had an “awful time” on the hit series. Speaking to Carl Mullan on his Phone Truths podcast, he said he felt “a whole pile of emotions” when he got the phone call from the makers of Squid Game: The Challenge to say he had been cast in the series.

Roberts told Carl that he is a “competitive” person and was away for three weeks, so people at home believed he had won the competition.

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However, in truth he was battling through rounds of the games, a process that was much tougher than he ever imagined. “I was in therapy after the show. It was the most intense, horrific thing I’ve done in my life. It was awful,” he said.

Speaking about the first challenge he said: “It took me six and a half hours to cross. I finished second – my legs were seized up, people were soiling themselves, people were fainting. It took some people nine hours to cross the line. It was one of the hardest things I’ve done in my life."

The experience has made him wary of signing up for another reality TV show, adding: “If another reality show comes around, I’d have to be very cautious.”

Listen to Phone Truths with Carl Mullan on Spotify, Apple, YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts every Tuesday.

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