hard times
‘I was struggling and so low’ says Helen Flanagan as she opens up about traumatic breakdown for first time
She feared the incident would ruin her career
HELEN Flanagan has opened up about the terrifying breakdown she experienced after her split with ex Scott Sinclair.
The former Coronation Street star, 33, revealed the couple's decision to end their 13 year relationship in 2022.
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Now she has spoken about the gritty details of the brush she had with psychosis in the aftermath of the break up, admitting: "I felt like I was in danger".
Helen shared that when things ended with Scott it felt like a divorce, and she was left traumatised for months afterwards, even though she didn't realise that herself at the time.
The mum of three told : "Instead of processing it all, I threw myself into work and shut off my emotions. I just went into survival mode.
"Then it all came to the surface earlier this year and I was mentally and physically breaking down."
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Things escalated when it was Scott's turn to spend Christmas day with the kids, leaving Helen alone.
Although she had a New Year's family trip to Bali planned, the I'm A Celeb contestant was left feeling "so low".
"It hit me really hard," she confessed.
The mum posted a series of cheerful family snapshots from their luxury holiday, but deep down inside, she wasn't feeling like herself.
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She added: "I was struggling. I felt terrible when I got back, I was crying all the time, I felt so low."
The star turned to ADHD medication to try and achieve some stability, but this was what pushed her over the edge in the end, as she suffered an "awful reaction" to her prescription.
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This triggered a psychotic episode, which Helen opened up about tearfully, saying: "It was really sad and very scary. I was seeing things and I felt like I was in danger all the time."
Her nanny noticed that something was wrong and contacted Helen's parents.
The actress agreed that her kids should move in with their grandparents as she sought help for her condition.
What is psychosis?
PSYCHOSIS is when people lose contact with reality.
According to the NHS website, this might involve seeing or hearing things that other people cannot see or hear (hallucinations) and believing things that are not actually true (delusions). It may also involve confused (disordered) thinking and speaking.
Experiencing the symptoms of psychosis is often referred to as having a psychotic episode.
Psychosis can be triggered by:
- a traumatic experience
- stress
- drug misuse
- alcohol misuse
- side effects of prescribed medicine
- a physical condition, such as a brain tumour or dementia
- head injury
- childbirth
She was also due to make her acting comeback in a UK tour of murder mystery play Cluedo 2, but pulled out because of her mental state.
The 33-year-old was replaced by Strictly Come Dancing winner Ellie Leach, who played Faye Windass on Coronation Street from 2011 until 2023.
"I was heartbroken," she admitted. "It was my dream job and I thought I’d ruined my career. But I knew I needed to deal with things so I wouldn’t ever get to that place again."
Now Helen is able to look back on that difficult time in her life from a much happier place.
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She smiled: "Having that time off was healthy. It changed everything for the better.
"I know I’m lucky. I’ve got beautiful children and lots of good things in my life. I hope talking might make someone feel less alone."
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