Denise Welch has revealed that she had two nervous breakdowns while filming Coronation Street.
The Loose Women panellist played barmaid Natalie Horrocks on the ITV soap from 1997 to 2000.
Appearing on The Wagon podcast, Denise – who has spoken candidly about her mental health in the past – opened up about the effect that her severe depression had on her while she was filming the programme.
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"My work schedule was intense, my child was 9 and my depression was so bad I had two nervous breakdowns while I was doing Coronation Street," Denise explained.
"I was trying to work through them to the point that I was getting up in the morning – the depression was so bad – getting up at 5am for filming.
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"I was crawling on my hands and knees to the toilet, making myself vomit, because by making myself be sick I was trying for the 10 seconds of being sick to try and take away the pain that was in my head.
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"Which is why I understand the horror of self-harming. I didn't ever go to that extreme, thank goodness, but it gave me an indication of why people are so desperate to find a release that they would go down that road."
Recalling how she turned to drugs and alcohol in an attempt to stop the pain of her depression, she explained: "The desire to stop the pain of my clinical depression at its worst was so extreme... I knew I was compounding it but the temporary relief was more powerful, even though I knew the next day would be 10 times worse."
We would encourage anyone who identifies with the topics raised in this article to reach out. Organisations who can offer support include Samaritans on 116 123 (www.samaritans.org) or Mind on 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk). Readers in the US are encouraged to visit mentalhealth.gov or the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
Alcohol Change UK offers information, advice and support with their questions about drinking and the problems that can sometimes be caused by alcohol. For more information, visit Alcohol Change UK's website. Drinkline also offers free, confidential advice to anyone who is concerned about their own or someone else's drinking on 0300 123 1110 (weekdays 9am–8pm, weekends 11am–4pm). Readers can also contact Drinkaware.
For more on drug addiction and dependency, including information and support, please visit FRANK or Action on Addiction.
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