Helen Flanagan has revealed what happened when she had a psychotic episode earlier this year. It forced her to pull out of a touring production of Cluedo as she focused on getting herself well again.

The former Coronation Street actress has admitted she hadn’t dealt with the break-up from her partner of 13 years Scott Sinclair. Instead she said she “shut off” her feelings and threw herself into work.

Helen Flanagan on psychotic episode

Bravely opening up, Helen explained to The Mirror: “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.”

She then decided to start medicating her ADHD, but had a reaction to the prescription. It sent her into a psychotic breakdown.

“It was really sad and very scary,” she said. “I was seeing things and I felt like I was in danger all the time.”

Eventually Helen’s nanny alerted her parents, who stepped in to look after the kids while Helen got help. She shares Matilda, eight, Delilah, five and three-year-old Charlie with Scott.

However the 33-year-old says she saw her kids every day while she was on the road to recovery as she felt it was important for them to know she was getting stronger.

She says she has now tackled the trauma and is in a good place. She’s even finding co-parenting with Scott easier.