Helen Flanagan speaks of psychotic breakdown ‘scary and sad’.

Helen Flanagan has opened up about her harrowing battle with mental health following her split from ex-fiancé and footballer Scott Sinclair.

The former Coronation Street actress, 33, told how she experienced a “very scary” psychotic episode after the couple split after 13 years together.

Taking her children – eight-year-old Matilda, five-year-old Delilah and three-year-old Charlie – on a New Year’s trip to Bali was not enough to ward off the overwhelming sense of unease and, in despite sharing happy holiday photos, Helen admits she was battling inner demons.

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She said: “My kids weren’t with me on Christmas Day because I like to be fair with my ex and it sounds so silly because it was only one day but it hit me really hard. take them to Bali for New Years and although I loved it I didn’t feel like I was struggling 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 realizes she had unresolved trauma from her 2022 split with Scott, 35.

Helen shared her heartbreak and said: “I don’t see it as a breakup, I see it as a divorce. We were together for 13 years. But instead of processing it all, I threw myself into work and shut down my emotions. I just went into survival mode, then it all came to a head earlier this year and I deteriorated mentally and physically.

She recounted her struggle to feel “normal” and how she began medicating her ADHD, only to have a “terrible reaction” to the prescription that led to a psychotic episode. A tearful Helen recalled: “It was very 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 difficult decision for her children to stay with them while she sought help .

She explained: “I wanted to do what was best for the children and this 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 Cluedo 2’s theater tour, which would have required extensive travel. She admitted: “I was having a crisis, I couldn’t travel alone. I needed my friends and family and to be there for my children.”

Helen first joined Coronation Street as Rosie Webster aged just nine and has appeared in over 1,000 episodes by 2018. Recalling her exit from Cluedo 2, she confessed: ‘I was heartbroken. It was my dream job and I thought I blew it. my career, but I knew I had to take care of things so that I would never end up in that place again.”

After catching up with the series, Helen praised her stand-in and Corrie co-star Ellie Leach, 23, for her performance. Keeping busy with exercise was part of her journey to healing and recovery, along with tackling chores around the house like decluttering, which she found helped her clear her mind and deal with her trauma.

She reflected: “I love work, but my children need me more at home. Having that time off was healthy, it changed my life in a way.”

Her road to recovery has also influenced her co-parenting relationship with Bristol Rovers player Scott Sinclair. When they separated and their children were with him, Helen often left her empty house to visit London for a drink.

Now, however, he is content to stay at home: “Now I like it very much. I stay at home, watch TV or do pilates, go running or swimming.”

Being able to parent amicably was important to Helen, who believes that “two happy homes are better than one unhappy home.” According to her, she and Scott are stronger than ever, stating: “I don’t want to live with toxic feelings, I want to get along with the father of my children and he is the same. When we met on a date. app we laughed about it, which shows how far we’ve come.”

Relating her experience with dating apps, Helen admitted: “I’ve been on a few dates. The people were nice, but I don’t really like the idea of ​​choosing a partner based on looks. I still believe in love and The One, but I think I’ll go with the flow. I haven’t been on the dating scene in 13 years, so it’s like a whole new world.”

The mother-of-two shared an important message about parenting, stating: “I love my children more than anything, but we don’t own our children, we raise them, we love them, we give them everything, then you have to let them go. It’s important not to lose ourselves as mothers, that I still have my own identity, I want them to see me fearless.”

Showing no fear of judgement, Helen recently posed in her underwear for Ann Summers. She defended her decision saying: ‘Just because we’re mums doesn’t mean we can’t be sexy, right? I love to dress sexy and have always done lingerie modeling, empowering. They are for women who hug. their bodies and I’m fine on social media, but I’m a free spirit and I like to be myself.

As many fans asked if she would consider following former Hollyoaks star Sarah Jayne Dunn on adult content site OnlyFans, Helen was quick to say: ‘What she’s done is amazing. But I just don’t like it. I do not know. why some people have a problem with what other people do is to each their own I guess.”

Helen now focuses on building a strong emotional bond with her children to support their mental well-being. She shared: “Matilda is a little angel. She’s definitely more sensitive. Delilah is like me, we have similar personalities. She’s hilarious. And Charlie is beautiful, a gorgeous, sweet little boy.”

Despite finding it difficult to discuss the traumatic events of this year, Helen is committed to breaking down barriers around mental health issues, drawing strength from the positive outcomes of her most difficult times. She explained: “I don’t think I would have worked on my relationship with Scott if it hadn’t happened, so the time off changed everything for the better. I’ve always been open, it’s partly my personality and partly mine. ADHD I know I am lucky to have beautiful children and lots of good things in my life.

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