A BRIDE-to be whose anxiety nearly derailed her dream job has asked her wedding guests to donate to the support service that helped her get her career back on track.

Chrissie Diesel, 25, who lives with her fiancé Huw Bill, 29, turned to Rhyl-based Rhyl City Strategy (RCS Wales) for help when she found she was struggling to adjust to the demands of life as a vet after graduating from Liverpool University.

Chrissie, who was born in South Africa and has lived in Ruthin since 2016, was offered her first job as a vet on the day she graduated in 2016.

The lifelong animal lover, who has two rescue dogs, a cat, three ducks, two chicken and a rescued baby hedgehog called ‘Flea-on’, was excited about starting her veterinary career.

But on her first day, at Wern veterinary practice in Ruthin, Chrissie was hit by feelings of anxiety and as the days went on, she started to feel that her confidence was being whittled away.

Despite having supportive colleagues, Chrissie found herself "bawling" her eyes out when driving around in her truck.

“I was physically nauseous on the first day, and then the whole of the first month and I thought there was something wrong with me,” said Chrissie.

“It was quite a change from being a student on work experience to a vet responsible for an animal’s life, but I was really enjoying it, so I didn’t expect that kind of reaction.

“I am a good vet and my performance was not suffering but it was a huge transition. Part of me was saying ‘hey, come on you have only just started’, but something else was telling me that perhaps I was not good enough.”

“I would also bring it home - I am so very lucky with Huw as he is my rock and he totally understood. He was a good pick me up and wouldn’t let me wallow in it too long."

Chrissie, at first, didn't recognise the feelings of anxiety.

Supported by Huw, who she met three years ago while on work experience at the Genus Bull Stud in Ruthin, she eventually went to see her GP who told her about RCS Wales.

She received counselling through the social enterprise’s In Work Support programme, designed to help people who are on or at risk of going on sick leave, to remain in work.

The vet is now asking for donations from her wedding guests for RCS instead of gifts; Huw and Chrissie are getting married next July at St Meugans Church in Llanrhydd, Ruthin.

Chrissie hopes that money raised will enable more people to get support.

“I totally believe in the work that RCS does, and I was lucky to have found them,” Chrissie said.

“If I can help someone else in my situation by donating money, then that gives me a tremendous amount of joy.”

Through RCS, Chrissie had sessions with a cognitive behavioural therapist. She was able to identify her anxieties and how to could deal with them.

Chrissie added: “I would have never given up being a vet, but I think I would have become a very unhappy person if I hadn’t had some help.

“I am the same person I was before, but I can now take a step back from a situation and deal with it non-reactively. When it comes to my job, I really enjoy the challenges that used to freak me out and I now have a career as a vet that excites me rather than stresses me, which is fantastic.”