Former Coronation Street star Melanie Hill, who played Cathy Matthews on the ITV soap, has spoken out about her battle with addiction, which was triggered by a health condition

Melanie Hill, known for her role as Cathy Matthews, the love interest of Roy Cropper in ITV’s Coronation Street, has revealed her secret battle with prescription drug addiction. The 62 year old actress, who also starred in BBC’s Waterloo Road, confessed that she suffered from “horrendous” pain due to osteoarthritis. After a hip replacement surgery, she was prescribed Co-codamol painkillers and subsequently developed a dependency on them.

“I needed a stick but I had to get rid of it when I was shooting scenes,” Melanie admitted to Woman magazine in 2015. “I carried on for two years because I didn’t want to take time out.” The British star acknowledged the difficulty she faced in overcoming the addiction, revealing it took her three months to fully recover. “I was on the maximum dose of Co-codamol painkillers and after two years it was hard getting off them,” she disclosed. “It took me three months to get completely weaned off them”, reports OK!

Melanie made the ’emotional’ decision to leave Corrie in 2022 (Image: ITV)

Melanie became hooked after her hip replacement surgery

Melanie joined Coronation Street in April 2014, where her character’s budding romance with widower Roy (David Neilson) touched viewers’ hearts. Now free from her reliance on pain relief medication, the former Bread actress described her role on the popular TV show as a “dream come true”.

“I couldn’t believe it,” she said at the time. “I was just so thrilled, beyond thrilled but terrified because it’s iconic, when you walk in there. I’ve never been so nervous in my life.” Melanie couldn’t hide her joy as she recounted the day Coronation Street offered her a role, marking the achievement of a dream she’s held dear since childhood: “When I got a call from my agent asking if I would like to be interviewed for Coronation Street I’ve never been as happy in my life because it’s been a life-long ambition.”

She continued, “I’ve grown up with it and I’ve got to a point in my life where I am happy to go into a long-running drama. Staying for a long time would be ideal for me.” The moment over a decade ago was made even more special as Melanie learned she was about to become a grandmother. Reflecting on that eventful morning, she said, “It was a brilliant day, we were having breakfast and my agent called and told me I had the part. So we had the scan and then we had the news as well.” With a playful smile, Melanie concluded, “It was a good day and I had a full English breakfast.”