Channel 4’s Hunted star from Northampton reveals how 10-year military career left her with PTSD

39-year-old Nichola Tidd, best known as one of the iconic television hunters, has bravely spoken out about the mental health challenges that female veterans can face.

She said: “Female veterans face unique challenges when it comes to mental health, particularly within a culture that can discourage vulnerability. It’s vital that we break the silence surrounding PTSD.

“Acknowledging our struggles does not make us weak, it demonstrates our courage in confronting the internal battles many are unprepared to face.”

Nichola served in the Royal Navy for 10 years and was seconded to Army Intelligence, having completed two operational tours of Afghanistan and Iraq.

Reflecting on her own journey, Nichola says that PTSD symptoms began to surface during her time in the service. This included cognitive decline and severe anxiety, which she had never experienced before.

“People around me remarked that I had become a shell of myself,” she said. “It felt like I was always a step behind myself. My hair started to fall out and it lost its natural curl.

“I experienced dissociative episodes and memory dysfunction. I’d be sitting in my car and suddenly not remember how to drive. At a toll booth, I couldn’t count the money in my hand.

“I also had terrifying flashbacks, feeling trapped or being chased, and even experienced irrational fears like being scared to put my hand in a sink full of water under bubbles.

“My anxiety was so strong that I reached the point where I couldn’t leave the house, let alone face normal daily tasks.”

Nichola says that as the military remains a male-dominated environment, women experiencing PTSD comes with additional stigma – such as being seen as “broken or not strong enough”.

“Women often put self-induced pressure on themselves to prove they belong,” Nichola continued. “For me, PTSD initially manifested physically and my body began to react in ways I couldn’t explain – which made me reluctant to accept that something was wrong.

“I couldn’t reconcile the physical symptoms with the idea of PTSD so I was in denial. I feared that if I admitted to it, it would mean I had failed.”

Nichola left the military in 2015 but her PTSD recovery took many years. She attended intensive therapy over five years and praised pilates for helping to calm her mind.

She said: “I had to dig deep to find the strength to challenge myself each day. I relied on the military discipline I had learned to fight the internal battle, instead of letting anxiety keep me confined to my home.”

Nichola believes early intervention and support is key when it comes to PTSD, with the need for decompression time, regular monitoring and mandatory therapies after service.

The Channel 4 star has since founded a veteran-to-veteran program called i2i Consultancy, aimed at helping to tackle the complexities of compensation claims and providing much-needed mental health support.

Nichola’s advocacy work extends to urging employers to reconsider hiring practices when it comes to women who have served in the military.

“Female veterans often possess vast skill sets but may be overlooked due to misconceptions about PTSD,” she said. “Employers need to understand the potential talents we bring to the table, regardless of any invisible struggles we might be facing.”

After her military career, Nichola began a career in close protection and qualified as a close protection officer providing personal security for foreign royalty and high-net-worth individuals. She has also worked in protective surveillance and qualified as a private investigator.

As someone who has faced the harsh realities of PTSD, Nichola’s mission is to continue the conversation about mental health among female veterans.

She concluded: “We must create spaces where female veterans can openly discuss their mental health challenges, free from judgement. By sharing our stories, we can begin dismantling barriers and encourage others to seek the help they need for healing.”