Linda Robson reveals her career almost ended after taking drugs on controversial ITV show

Linda Robson has revealed that she was told her 50-year showbiz career would be over after signing on for a controversial TV show.

The Loose Women star, 65, was one of five celebrities who toured America on a psychedelic bus in 2017 to research cannabis use on the ITV series Gone To Pot.

Linda and her co-stars, Pam St Clement, Christopher Biggins, John Fashanu and Bobby George, used marijuana in various forms during the tour, which eventually led to them wanting to legalize cannabis in the UK.

However, Linda was warned by her agent before taking the job that it could be risky for her career.

Linda explained The sun: “My agent thought so [risky] when I was asked to do Gone To Pot.

Road trip: The Loose Women star, 65, was one of five celebrities who toured America in a psychedelic bus in 2017 to research cannabis use on the ITV series Gone To Pot

She said, “I don’t think you should. You’re a daytime face on television, you’ll probably never work again”. But I said “The series I do is for ITV, I do most of my work for ITV anyway so I don’t see how it could hurt in any way”.

Fortunately, Linda’s three adult children disagreed. She continued, “I also asked the kids. I said, “I’ve been asked to do a show called Gone To Pot, where I’m traveling across America on a psychedelic bus and I’m going to do cannabis. What do you think?”

And they said, “We think you’re the coolest mom in the world.” I always ask the kids what I’m doing because it affects them too. They were for it and they loved the series.’

Christopher Biggins and Linda were among the stars who visited the states in America that have legalized marijuana for a series about the hugely controversial debate over whether the drug should be allowed in Britain.

All the stars in Gone To Pot suffer from medical conditions that are said to be alleviated with cannabis.

After consulting a doctor, they obtained permits to purchase marijuana.

The drug has two active compounds associated with medicinal properties: cannabidiol (CBD), which is said to help with pain relief; and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the part of the plant that causes a “high” and is also said to act as a relaxant.

Ms Robson, 59, suffered from mood swings and hot flashes and was looking for a cure for the symptoms of menopause, as well as her jet lag-related sleep problems.

In Oakland, California, she bought a cannabis brownie at the Harborside Health Center’s marijuana dispensary, where the shelves are lined with plants, oils, chips, cookies, and chocolates containing the drug.

After staying awake until 4 a.m., Robson decided to eat the brownie. “I felt so relaxed and then I fell back asleep for four hours,” she said.

Filming: Linda and her co-stars used marijuana in various forms during the tour, culminating in them wanting to legalize cannabis in the UK

It comes after the Birds of a Feather actress reportedly told friends that she is going through a marital crisis with Mark.

The couple, who married in 1990, live together in London, but it has been reported in recent weeks that they have been having relationship problems.

And last month Linda flew to Majorca for a solo holiday and had a ‘really lovely’ time on her own.

A source told The Sun on Sunday: ‘Linda has been quite open about issues in her marriage behind the scenes.

“They had a rough patch before Christmas, but they managed to get through it.

“Linda turned to her family and close friends who supported her through it all.”

The actress recently spoke about “ups and downs” in her relationship.

She reportedly told Best magazine, “There have been ups and downs, of course, like any couple. What I think we have in common is that we love our children more than anything else.”

Linda and Mark share children Louis, 31, and Roberta, 27. Linda also has daughter Lauren, 40, with her ex Tony Tyler.

Linda – who previously spoke out about some rough years she’d been through with Mark – previously recalled in Loose Women the pain she went through after being cheated on by two former partners.

The show’s panel discussed how Emmerdale actress Amy Nuttall became suspicious of husband Andrew Buchan before he left her for fellow Better cast member Leila Farzad.

Linda – who previously claimed she never undressed in front of husband Mark – said: ‘It’s intuition, it’s happened to me twice.

“Two partners cheated on me, and both times I knew something was wrong in the relationship and I confronted them about it and they always denied it.

“Until finally one of their friends or one of your friends says, ‘Do you know this is happening behind your back?'”

Linda also spoke earlier about heartbreak when her ex-partner of 11 years Tony Tyler cheated on her.

Relationship: The couple, who married in 1990, live together in London, but in recent weeks it was claimed they had relationship problems (pictured in 2015)

She told the Loose Women audience in 2017, “I caught my ex cheating several times — even when I was pregnant with Lauren.

“One time I was out and Lauren was out with me. When I returned, everything seemed fine in the flat.

“But when I went to bed that night, I moved the pillow and there was a tissue with lipstick on it, and long blonde hair.

“I remember saying to my ex ‘what is this?’, and he said ‘one of my friends stayed and her partner, it must be hers.’ But do you know when you know?’