Actress Helen Flanagan was told that she has psychosis.
The former Coronation Street star, who has also appeared on the likes of Love Island and I’m A Celebrity, shared an update in her life on Instagram where she spoke openly about the serious mental health matter she was dealing with.
In a long post, she admitted she thinks part of the reason for her psychosis is the ’emotional struggle’ after breaking up with long-term partner Scott Sinclair in 2022.
The former couple share three children: Matilda, eight, Delilah, five, and two-year-old Charlie.
Writing in her first Instagram post in months, she said she ‘struggled mental health wise’ over Christmas and ‘didn’t feel that much different when I took the kid away for new years.’
She had been due to start a theatre tour and said when she returned from the trip and still felt like she was struggling, she decided to take medication to ‘cope better with being a working single mum of three and I was emotionally struggling with the break up from the father of my kids.’
Helen, who has previously been diagnosed with ADHD and Bipolar disorder, said she had a ‘really bad reaction’ to the ADHD medication she took ‘and it sent me into a psychosis for a few days which I didn’t know I was in.’
Psychosis is a serious mentalissue which can involve hallucinations and delusions, but affects everyone differently.
Helen said she was ‘heartbroken’ that she was not mentally well enough to begin rehearsals for her theatre tour as ‘I’ve always been professional as an actress but I needed to stay at home and feel better for me and my kids with the help of my amazing parents.’
Explaining why she wanted to share her experience publicly, she said ‘I’ve always been honest on here and I feel in a really good happy place now.’
‘Therapy can be amazing and I feel like I’ve worked on myself with things that were quite tough to me but I feel lighter now. Anyway sending love and please be kind.’
Helen was showered with support from friends and followers, including Girls Aloud star Nadine Coyle who said she was ‘sending loads of love’.
Coronation Street star Brooke Levi Vincent said it was ‘nice to see you back my girl,’ and Carol Vorderman said she was ‘sending huge love my little meerkat angel.’
Helen and Scott split in 2022 after 13 years together, and she previously told The Sun it was ‘a mutual decision and, personally, I felt as a mum that this was the best thing for my children.
‘I want them to see healthy relationships and to be in healthy environments. I think if you’re unhappy then that projects on to them.
She added: ‘I love Scott and I know that he loves me, but I suppose we just don’t like each other very much at the moment.
'We don't communicate much and there's no reason to pretend that we're the closest of friends when we're not.'
