Helen Flanagan has bravely opened up about her personal struggles following her heartbreaking split from Scott Sinclair.
The ex-Coronation Street star and the former Celtic footballer had been together for over a decade, sharing three children: Matilda, nine, Delilah, six, and Charlie, three.
Helen experienced a “very scary” psychotic episode during what was supposed to be an idyllic New Year’s holiday in Bali with the kids.
A year on from the trip, she’s reflecting on the tumultuous period with a series of photos and a candid Instagram post discussing family conflicts, mental health challenges, and financial difficulties, the Mirror reports.
Helen shared her ordeal: “This time last year: Christmas – I spent it in bed x i went to my mums for a few hours as my dad was calling me x” “I said to Scott he could have the kids ( i live really north and he lives really south) because I wanted to take the kids to Bail for ten days for new year. So I knew I had to be fair. But it really hit me out of nowhere. I said to my friends before hand it’s just a day I’ll be fine. I had bad mental health.
“My love life was a s**t show that year…. I didn’t look after my my mental health or think. I felt so s**t and sad. I felt like my whole life was f***ed up now and I had the perfect family. 13 years is a long time to be with someone. My whole 20s. I had a lot of family fall outs too and I also lost basically all my money. Me and Scott weren’t married we were engaged.”
Helen candidly opened up about her mental health struggles, confessing to The Mirror: “My mental health was so bad I thought maybe my kids would be better off without me and maybe they would be better off with their dad as he’s more level headed than me. I love my kids more than words can say but when you are not well you’re not well.”
She also happily shared how this Christmas saw a significant improvement in her wellbeing: “In 2024 I prioritised my mental health, made up with a lot of people that I loved and came to a bit of peace.
“My head is 70% clearer than it was this time last year and for that I am grateful x Of course my life isn’t perfect no one’s is and everyone has s**t going on but I have a lot to be grateful for. I remember how I felt in my head this time last year, I felt my head could have exploded and I felt at that time that I needed some tablets to just function.”
Reflecting on the previous year’s tribulations, Helen discussed suffering from a psychosis episode after a “bad reaction” to ADHD medication.
During a revelation about her personal life and diagnosis, Helen expressed: “I don’t see it as a break-up, I see it as a divorce. We were together 13 years. But instead of processing it all, I threw myself into work and shut off my emotions. I just went into survival mode.
“Then it all came to the surface earlier this year and I was mentally and physically breaking down. It was really sad and very scary. I was seeing things and I felt like I was in danger all the time.”
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