ActressHelen Flanagan has bravely opened up about the devastating breakdown that she feared would rob her of everything she holds dear.

The former Coronation Street favourite, 33, faced an emotional struggle after splitting from footballer fiancé Scott Sinclair, 35, after 13 years together and spiralled into a “very scary” psychotic episode. Her nightmare began after what looked like a dream New Year’s break in Bali with their children Matilda, eight, Delilah, five, and Charlie, three. Behind the stream of smiley photos she posted, Helen says she was in turmoil.

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.”

Ahead of Mental Health Awareness week, which begins on Monday, Helen – who was in I’m A Celebrity in 2012 – looked the picture of happiness as she posed with her kids in a Merseyside coast shoot, But, becoming emotional as we spoke, she said she now realises she was carrying unresolved trauma over the 2022 split with Scott, 35.

Helen 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.”

Struggling to feel “normal”, she started medicating her ADHD but suffered an “awful reaction” to her prescription and went into a psychotic episode. Tearful Helen said: “It was really sad and very scary. I was seeing things and I felt like I was in danger all the time.”

The hardest part was not realising what was happening at the time. Her nanny contacted her parents, Julia and Paul, to alert them that something was wrong and Helen agreed for her kids to stay with them while she got help. Helen said: “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.”