Helen Flanagan has opened up about her harrowing mental health struggle following her split from ex-fiance and footballer Scott Sinclair.
The former Coronation Street actress, 33, shared how she experienced a “very scary” psychotic episode after the couple parted ways, following 13 years together.
Taking their children – Matilda, eight, Delilah, five, and Charlie, three – for a New Year’s trip to Bali wasn’t enough to ward off the overwhelming feeling of turmoil and despite sharing happy snaps from the holiday, Helen admits she was battling inner demons.
She said: “My kids weren’t with me on Christmas Day because I like to be really fair with my ex, and it sounds so silly because it was only one day, but it hit me really hard. The plan was for me to take them to Bali for New Year instead, and although I enjoyed it, I didn’t feel myself. I was struggling. I felt terrible when I got back, I was crying all the time, I felt so low.”
As we approach Mental Health Awareness week, which starts on Monday, Helen took part in an emotional interview with the Mirror. She said she now realises she was carrying unresolved trauma over the 2022 split with Scott, 35.
Helen shared her heartache and said: “I don’t see it as a break-up, I see it as a divorce. We were together 13 years. But 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.”
She recounted her struggle to feel “normal” and how she started medicating her ADHD, only to have an “awful reaction” to the prescription that led to a psychotic episode. A tearful Helen recalled: “It was really sad and very scary. I was seeing things and I felt like I was in danger all the time.”
Helen reflected on the difficulty of not understanding what was happening at the time. It was her nanny who contacted her parents, Julia and Paul, to raise the alarm, leading Helen to make the tough decision for her kids to stay with them while she sought help.
She explained: “I wanted to do what was best for the kids and that was the right decision. I saw them every day because it was important for them to see me getting stronger.”
The situation forced Helen to withdraw from her role as Miss Scarlett in the theatre tour of Cluedo 2, which would have required extensive travel. She admitted: “I was having a breakdown, I couldn’t have travelled alone. I needed my friends and family, and to be there for my kids.”
Helen first joined Coronation Street as Rosie Webster at just nine years old and featured in more than 1,000 episodes until 2018. Recalling her exit from Cluedo 2, she confessed: “I was heartbroken. 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.”
Having since caught up with the show, Helen complimented her replacement and fellow Corrie star Ellie Leach, 23, for her performance. Keeping busy with exercise has formed part of her journey towards healing and recovery, along with tackling jobs around the house like decluttering, which she found helped clear her mind and deal with her trauma.
