Embarassing shakey voice

arghhhh Public speaking is something I have dreaded since I was a child. Every time we had to give speeches in class I would pull a sicky, some days I there was no way out of it and the teacher would pick me to read things out in front of the class, this is what happens to me ...my heart starts to pound so fast I feel like its going to explode and then about 15 seconds into reading my voice starts getting really shaky and then I feel like I cant breathe properly, sometimes I cant get through the article I am reading because my breathing and voice are just so out of control. Its the most embarrasing thing hence the reason I have tried to avoid it my whole life. I am at the stage where I know I need to overcome this fear. Is there anyone else out there with similar experiences?