Sheridan Smith has spoken about the fallout of suffering a public ‘meltdown’ nearly a decade ago.
In 2016 the actress, now 42, was starring in the West End adaptation of Funny Girl.
However, after reports emerged that she was slurring her words and losing her balance on stage, the show was cancelled, with ‘technical difficulties’ cited as the reason.
Now Sheridan, who recently revealed she has been diagnosed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, has recalled having ‘the curtain brought down on me’.
At the time Sheridan was dealing with personal difficulties and mental health issues following her father’s cancer diagnosis.
She was also hitting headlines, reportedly for missing curtain calls and was also accused of abusing alcohol.
The actress eventually took a leave of absence from the show due to ‘stress and exhaustion’.
Looking back, Sheridan has said she felt ‘so ashamed of that time’ and she now ‘needed to prove I’m not that person’.
Speaking about her ‘meltdown’, she reflected on having ‘no support team’ on the production.
‘It was just, ‘Get on stage!”,’ she told The Guardian.
However, she said she was in a ‘stronger place now’.
She is now starring in the stage adaptation of the 1977 film Opening Night, which follows Broadway actor Myrtle as she has a downward spiral a few days before the premiere of her latest play.
After reading the script, Sheridan said she thought it was a ‘sign’ due to the similarities between the character and her own experiences.
‘I knew I had to do the play as a way of taking control of what I went through,’ she continued.
‘I felt so ashamed of that time. I need to prove I’m not that person. It’s been very cathartic.’
Although she admitted she had concerns elements of Myrtle’s story might be triggering, Sheridan felt she had support with therapists available to the cast and crew on this production.
After temporarily leaving Funny Girl eight years ago, Sheridan was made the butt of jokes onstage at the Baftas.
In a 2020 ITV documentary, Sheridan spoke about host Graham Norton making a joke at her ‘expense’ about her being ‘a drunk’.
‘I was so humiliated,’ she said.
‘It’s a room full of your peers, people you want to work with or have worked with. That night, for me, was like the final straw before my brain totally went off the deep end.’
During the awards show, Graham had said: ‘We’re all excited for a couple of drinks tonight. Or, as it’s known in theatrical circles, a few glasses of technical difficulties.’
Sheridan later spoke about her response to what was said.
‘Here I was in unbelievable distress, and a room full of people in my industry were laughing at me,’ she said.
Sheridan became known to British audiences for her role as Anthony’s girlfriend Emma in The Royle Family in 1999.
She then went on to star in shows including Gavin & Stacey, Benidorm, Cilla, Cleaning Up, No Return and The Castaways.
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