蜜芽传媒

Comedian Ruby Wax says celebrities see fading fame as "a death" and "start listening to the clock ticking" after their twenties.

The 61-year-old said such attention was "addictive" and "corrupted" stars, and losing it was like "coming off a drug."

Speaking of the late Robin Williams, who died aged 63 after apparently taking his own life, she said, "When you start to fade it's very painful."

"If you've got that kind of genius and you go at speeds that are high turbo, and then you start to lose it, you can see in people's eyes - that disappointment," she said.

This clip is originally from Afternoon Edition on Tuesday 10 February 2015.