Loose Women’s icon Linda Robson has spoken up about her sad mental health struggles and fight with drugs, which have harmed her connection with her grandkids.
The 65-year-old actress and television presenter came on Lorraine this morning with her daughter Lauren to promote her latest book, Truth Be Told: Tales from a Baggy Mouth.
Robson spoke out about her 55-year career in show industry, including her heartbreaking battle with mental health and alcoholism, which prevented her from seeing her grandchildren.
‘Four years ago I had really bad mental health problems and depression and was on suicide watch for a while as well,’ she told host Ranvir Singh.
‘I started drinking anything and everything just to get through the day. And I still feel a lot of guilt for what I put my children and my grandchildren through.’
She went on to reveal that she ‘wasn’t allowed to see her grandchildren for a while’, which devastated her.
‘I love my grandchildren more than my children, so that was really hard,’ she added. ‘But here we are four years later and I haven’t drunk for four years.’
She described a tragic incident in which she was barred from attending her granddaughter Lila’s Christmas concert ‘in case she came up inebriated.’
Linda shared that her mental health issues began in 2008, after her son Louis was stabbed and died at the scene.
It comes after the Birds of a Feather actor confessed she was placed on suicide watch after she reached a ‘crisis point’ due to her alcohol addiction.
‘By the Christmas of 2018, the situation was intolerable. The police had been called to the house on quite a few occasions,’ Linda wrote in an extract obtained by Mail Online.
‘I was spending whole days crying and I looked absolutely terrible, really skinny like a skeleton.
‘When I look back at the pictures from that time, I’m horrified. It was as if I was at death’s door, with hollowed-out cheeks and lines etched across my face.’
Linda goes on to say that her family discussed “getting me sectioned under the Mental Health Act” because they were “frightened.”
Linda’s memoir follows her breakup from husband Mark Dunford after 33 years last year.
‘He’s a really good dad and we had some good years, but enough is enough,’ she told Woman Magazine.
Lorraine airs weekdays at 9am on ITV.
Need support?
For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
If you’re a young person, or concerned about a young person, you can also contact PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide UK. Their HOPELINK digital support platform is open 24/7, or you can call 0800 068 4141, text 07860039967 or email: pat@papyrus-uk.org between the hours of 9am and midnight.