The actress had psychotic episodes earlier this year

Helen Flanagan says the support of the friends she made while on Coronation Street has been invaluable as she recovers from a health scare. The actress had psychotic episodes earlier this year due to a reaction to medication.

The first fans heard of her ill health was first mentioned when she was forced to pull out of her stage debut in Cluedo 2 – The Next Chapter where she was meant to play Miss Scarlett. A statement at the time revealed she had pulled out for “medical reasons” and was replaced by former co-star and Strictly Come Dancing winner Ellie Leach.

Then in March, Helen, 34, opened up about what’s been going on and told her fans how she’d been struggling with her mental health since before Christmas 2023 and then, earlier this year, had a ‘bad reaction’ to ADHD medication that sent her into ‘psychosis’.

But Helen d she credits Brooke Vincent, Lucy Fallon and Ellie as being her “good friends” during the “tricky” time. She has now told The Mirror in a new interview: “I wasn’t very well. Really struggled mentally. Sadly, I had to pull out of a theatre tour. I always wanted to do theatre as an actress. That was hard.”

Fellow soap star Ellie Leach, 23, stepped in her for her pal. “I’m good friends with Brooke Vincent, Lucy Fallon and Ellie Leach who took over when I wasn’t well in January. I went to see Ellie in that.”

The mum-of-three – who has Delilah, five, Charlie, six, and Matilda, eight, with her ex-partner Scott Sinclair – added: “It’s not an easy thing. But I think you need to concentrate on doing everything for your kids.

“It is all a balance. Constantly. You want to be a good role model to your daughters and your sons. And I think children more than anything they want your time. It doesn’t matter how many fancy things they have they want you to be present. They want their mum. So, it is finding that balance.”

Helen, who is now looking for love on the new series of E4’s Celebs Go Dating, does her best to keep well mentally and physically, but it’s not always easy as a single mother. She explained: “I try and look after myself and my mental health, it is so important.

“Being self-aware and exercise. A lot of the time we ignore it for so long and that’s why it gets bad. The one thing I miss about being with my ex is not being able to leave every morning to go to the gym. I live in the middle of nowhere. You can go for nice runs and a bike ride and that’s what I really miss… those little things. That’s really hard as a single mum.

She continued: “My little boy goes to nursery twice a week, but I can’t leave the house because I need childcare… Or the school run, I’ve got to take all three. I can’t leave the baby at home with their dad because he isn’t there… Those little things bother me.

“I’d love to pop to the gym at night or go for a swim, but I can’t. Those little things are tricky as a single mum. Everything is difficult but being in a relationship that’s quite challenging – I think that’s harder than being a single mum. If you’re in a relationship that’s really challenging and trying to bring up children, that is way harder for me.”