Sheridan Smith describes her decade of heartbreak after nearly dying due to terrifying seizures and losing beloved dad Colin to cancer
Sheridan Smith has revealed she is 'back' and fighting fit after a very difficult seven years in which she almost died after losing her beloved father Colin to cancer.
The 42-year-old actress, who is set to star in the new Paramount+ drama The Castaways, opened up about how she stopped breathing and started having seizures when she decided to stop taking her anxiety medication during the grieving process.
She said Radio times how the incident happened while she was staying in a hotel for the 2016 BAFTAs after being nominated for her role in The C Word.
'In my crazy mind I thought, 'I don't want to be in rehab, I'll do it myself', so I went there and just stopped taking my tablets.'
She continued: 'What I didn't realize is that if you stop taking the tablets abruptly, you will have a seizure. And long story short, I had seizures five times and was rushed to the emergency room.
Sheridan Smith, 42, has revealed she is 'back' and fighting fit after a very difficult seven years in which she almost died after losing her beloved father Colin to cancer
The actress, who is set to star in new Paramount+ drama The Castaways, opened up about how she stopped breathing and started having seizures when she decided to stop her anxiety medication during the grieving process (pictured with dad Colin in 2011)
'Strangely enough, a friend of mine called me and she came to the hotel. It's a miracle she did that. It was like someone was looking out for me.
Adding: 'She's the one who made me breathe again.'
Colin died in December 2016 at the age of 80 and as a result Sheridan retired from performing at the Royal Variety the following week.
Her father and mother Marilyn performed together as a country and western musical duo called The Daltons, with a young Sheridan later accompanying her parents on their performances.
Months earlier, Sheridan pulled out of a performance of her sell-out West End series Funny Girl following her father's cancer diagnosis.
After being criticized by fans angry that she had quit performing in London, the actress revealed her father's diagnosis on Twitter before promising to personally repay fans.
Elsewhere during the interview, Sheridan recalled welcoming son Billy, now three, in 2020 at the height of the COVID pandemic, which was once again an incredibly stressful time for the star.
Saying, 'He arrived three weeks early. I was breastfeeding and didn't know what I was doing. No nurses could come, or grandparents, so it was just me and (fiancée) Jamie and Billy.”
She told how the incident happened while she was staying in a hotel for the 2016 BAFTAs after being nominated for her role in The C Word (pictured)
She continued: 'What I didn't realize is that if you stop taking the tablets abruptly you will have a seizure. And long story short, I had a seizure five times and was rushed to the emergency room.
Colin died in December 2016 at the age of 80 and Sheridan retired from performing at the Royal Variety as a result the following week (pictured together in 2012)
The following year, Sheridan and fiancée Jamie Horn announced their separation after three years together with 'great sadness'.
She met the insurance broker through the dating app Tinder in 2018 and reportedly got engaged just three months later.
The couple said The sun at the time: 'It is with great sadness that we have decided to part ways for a while.
“We both remain fully committed to raising our beautiful boy Billy together. We ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult time. Thank you.'
The pair appeared in a one-off ITV documentary in 2020 called Sheridan Smith: Becoming Mum, which followed her pregnancy during lockdown.
Elsewhere during the interview, Sheridan recalled welcoming son Billy, now three, in 2020 at the height of the COVID pandemic, which was once again an incredibly stressful time for the star (pictured in March)
The following year, Sheridan and fiancée Jamie Horn announced their separation after three years together with 'great sadness'
It follows on from Sheridan's new series The Castaways, in which she plays missing Lori Holme, premiering on Paramount+
Jamie reportedly proposed to the Gavin and Stacey star in May 2018 with a £10,000 ring, and the couple have been living together in a rented property in north London ever since.
It follows Sheridan's new series The Castaways, in which she plays missing Lori Holme, which premieres on Paramount+.
When the television favorite revealed she was forced to hide her numerous tattoos for the role.
Read Sheridan's full interview now in the Christmas Radio Times
Saying, “I got a call three hours before anyone else, I couldn't use my usual stuff to cover them, it had to be waterproof!
“So three people were dabbing every day to cover everything.
'I have never regretted my tattoos so much. I'll never have one again.' On the plus side, Ms Smith said this role was her “most physical” yet and helped her lose weight.
She also revealed how she carried “so much weight” while filming the show, which is based on Lucy Clarke's best-selling novel, in Greece.
Revealing: 'I had a challenge this year, the most physical part I've ever done.
“Running up and down a beach, climbing trees to pick fruit, jumping off cliffs, going through the jungle, falling over, cutting my legs, and then a few more times they say, 'Go again.' I've lost so much weight!'
Read Sheridan's full interview now in the Christmas Radio Times.
The Castaways premieres later this month on Paramount+.