Ex-Corrie star Helen Flanagan says the support of pals from the cobbles has been invaluable as she recovers from a health scare.
The actress, who celebrated her 34th birthday wearing a pink frock in Manchester on Saturday night, had psychotic episodes due to a reaction to medication.
She had to step back from a theatre tour of Cluedo 2, and was replaced by another former Corrie favourite, Ellie Leach, who she went to see in the show.
And she credits Brooke Vincent, Lucy Fallon and Ellie as being her “good friends” during the “tricky” time.
“I wasn’t very well,” says Helen. “I really struggled mentally. Sadly, I had to pull out of a theatre tour. I always wanted to do theatre as an actress. That was hard.
“I’m good friends with Brooke Vincent, Lucy Fallon and Ellie Leach who took over when I wasn’t well in January. I went to see Ellie in that.”
Helen had a bad reaction to ADHD medication, which saw her experience psychosis, where she said she was “seeing things” and “felt in danger” constantly. Now, she says of the experience: “It’s not an easy thing. But I think you need to concentrate on doing everything for your kids.
“It is all a balance. Constantly. You want to be a good role model to your daughters and your sons. And I think children more than anything they want your time. It doesn’t matter how many fancy things they have they want you to be present. They want their mum. So, it is finding that balance.”
Helen believes splitting from her partner of 13 years, Scott Sinclair, in 2022 led to her illness. She is now looking for love on E4 reality show Celebs Go Dating, and is looking for a “calming” partner.
Helen and Scott share three children, Matilda, eight, Delilah, five, and Charlie, three, and Helen says being a single mum has taken its toll on her mental health.
“I try and look after myself and my mental health, it is so important,” she says. “Being self-aware and exercise. A lot of the time we ignore it for so long and that’s why it gets bad.
“The one thing I miss about being with my ex is not being able to leave every morning to go to the gym. I live in the middle of nowhere. You can go for nice runs and a bike ride and that’s what I really miss… those little things. That’s really hard as a single mum.
“My little boy goes to nursery twice a week but I can’t leave the house because I need childcare… Or the school run, I’ve got to take all three. I can’t leave the baby at home with their dad because he isn’t there… Those little things bother me.
“I’d love to pop to the gym at night or go for a swim but I can’t. Those little things are tricky as a single mum. Everything is difficult but being in a relationship that’s quite challenging – I think that’s harder than being a single mum. If you’re in a relationship that’s really challenging and trying to bring up children, that is way harder for me.”
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Source: USA Today
