Sheridan Smith previously opened up about her alcohol battle during a difficult time in her life, admitting she was “trying to get out of my own head”.
The beloved actress has become one of the UK’s beloved talents since shooting to fame in the ’90s. From stints on Gavin and Stacey and The Cage – which airs today (May 10), Sheridan has remained booked and busy.
However, Sheridan has faced her own fair share of heartbreak over the years, including the tragic death of her father Sheridan.
Sheridan Smith on ‘running straight to bottom of bottle’
Sheridan’s beloved father Colin was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2016. At the time, Sheridan had been appearing the West End production of Funny Girl.
Although she continued with her performances, Sheridan was naturally desperate to take time out to spend with her father.
When asked by The Guardian, why she couldn’t take a break, Sheridan told the publication: “You just can’t. Not in our industry. People had bought tickets.”
Sheridan then shared the advice her mum and gave her: “My mum had drilled into me: the show must go on. You just can’t.”
A heartbroken and stressed Sheridan ultimately turned to booze and started drinking. She recalled: “I was running away from a lot, straight to the bottom of a bottle. I was trying to get out of my own head.”
Sheridan was ‘spiralling out of control’
Sheridan did end up missing several performances to visit her sick father. Producers of the show at the time issued a statement: “Sheridan’s primary concern is quite rightly her father’s wellbeing… We would never ask nor expect an artist to perform in this situation.”
Sadly, in December 2016 Sheridan’s father died at age 80. In 2018, Sheridan openly admitted she really struggled following Colin’s death.
“I was spiralling out of control and I was making mistakes, doing things I really regret because I wasn’t in my right frame of mind, so I kind of understand that will get backlash and people will think, ‘What’s going on?’, she said on Lorraine.
“My anxiety started with Legally Blonde. It’s like imposter syndrome and then you think, this can’t be happening to me because I’m not good enough.”
“And the more roles I got, which I was grateful for, I was scared that I wasn’t good enough. It was a really tough time leading up [to her dad’s death],” Sheridan continued.
Watch Sheridan on The Cage on Sunday (May 10) at 9pm on BBC One.
Read more: Sheridan Smith’s admirable comeback from family tragedies and her mental illness battle
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