(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Deena Cortese has suffered from "separation anxiety" ever since she was a child.

The Jersey Shore star is promoting the final season of the hit MTV show, which also stars Snooki, JWoww and Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino.

Deena had a hard time while shooting the series as she missed her boyfriend Chris Buckner a great deal.

"I've had separation anxiety since I was small, but then I kind of grew out of it, and now that I have Chris, I'm experiencing it again," she explained to MTV News.

"And it was hard for me in the house, and luckily he was able to come down and see me. The roommates were there for me, and my parents were there for me. It was a rough patch, definitely a rough patch for me this season."

At one point in the show, Deena was seen crying on the phone to her mother as she feared she wasn't "being herself" with her roommates.

The star also had to adapt to a new relationship with Snooki, who was pregnant during filming. The two women are famed for getting up to drunken mischief together and Deena missed hitting the bars with her pals.

"It was rough for me in the beginning because I didn't have my meatball [Snooki] to drink with during the day," she admitted.

"But [the roommates] really stepped up and tried to help me out, but she was there, and me and her got to bond on a completely different level. She really helped me through my rough patch." (C) Cover Media