Sheridan Smith has told how a brutal Graham Norton joke sparked her public meltdown in 2016 – and how she’s the ‘happiest I’ve ever been’ after moving back to her hometown.
The actress’s mental health hit rock bottom while she was playing Fanny Brice in West End show Funny Girl, with the show cancelled mid-performance after someone claimed she was slurring her words and stumbling on stage.
Smith was then dogged by accusations that she was drinking heavily.
But she was pushed over the edge by an incident at the TV Baftas where Norton – who was hosting – made a joke about her drinking, referring to ‘a few glasses of technical difficulties, as it’s known in theatrical circles’.
Afterwards, she missed three shows in a row and took a leave of absence.
At the time of her ‘meltdown’, as Smith describes it, she was dealing with her father’s diagnosis with cancer.
Her 18-year-old brother, Julian, had previously died of the same disease when she was eight.
Her father would sadly die later that year. Smith said the harrowing ordeal led the Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps star to suffer from ‘double-grieving’.
Speaking to The Times, Smith said that she had become addicted to anti-anxiety medication and on the night of that notorious Baftas ceremony she had stopped taking them and was admitted to hospital with seizures.
Speaking about her encounter with Norton, she said: ‘That was no one’s fault. That was just on me. I was in a bad state at the time. But I think, it maybe wouldn’t happen now. It is a bit kinder now.’
Now, almost a decade after her self-described ‘meltdown’ Smith has moved out of London and back to her hometown of Epworth in order to be closer to her family.
‘I know everyone in the village, so I can do the school run in my pyjamas. I just love it. I love being a mum,’ she said.
Smith is returning to the West End in Alan Ayckbourn’s dark comedy Woman in Mind.
The play’s West End run is currently underway at Duke of York’s Theatre, where it will run until the end of February before it heads on tour to Sunderland and Glasgow.
Sheridan stars as the main character, a housewife called Susan whose family life is unfortunate, and after suffering a head injury imagines a life with her perfect family.
Her world splits in two – one mundane, one imagined – and the lines begin to blur.
Meanwhile comedian Romesh makes his West End debut as Doctor Bill Windsor, Susan’s psychiatrist.
His debut comes after he revealed he’s hitting pause on his hectic showbiz schedule – but insisted he’s not quitting for good.
The funnyman, best known for his hit BAFTA-winning series Rob & Romesh Vs, says he’s taking a breather to spend more time at home.
Speaking on Desert Island Discs on BBC Radio 4 in June, Romesh told host Lauren Laverne: ‘There’s no game plan. I’m just doing whatever feels good – I’m taking a step back.’
But fans don’t need to panic, as the Crawley-born comic made it clear he’s not packing it in for good.
