Everything is coming up Rosie

Sheridan Smith has put her very public struggles behind her and now she hopes playing a recovering addict will help viewers to take a more sympathtic view

- RICK FULTON

SHERIDAN Smith knows all about public humiliation, which is why she is hoping her latest role in Sky comedy Rosie Molloy Gives Up Everything will help others.

The sitcom is about a recovering addict who tries to turn over a new leaf and mum-of-one Sheridan, who starred in Cilla and Mrs Biggs, said: I hope people have more empathy for addiction after they watch this series.

Sheridan was the subject of showbiz gossip for years as she struggled with drink and substance abuse.

The award-winning actress, 41, was going through a particularly tough time in 2016. Her London West End production of Funny Girl had been halted due to technical difficulties but rumours were circulating it was down to her drinking after she had slurred her lines.

What people didn't know was that she was heartbroken after her father Colin had been diagnosed with cancer he passed away in December that year and had become addicted to anti-anxiety medication.

Nominated for The C Word at the Baftas, she was mocked by show host Graham Norton, who made fun of her being a drunk.

In the 2020 documentary Sheridan Smith: Becoming Mum, she revealed that later on that night she decided to stop taking the tablets and had five seizures, which stopped her breathing. She was only saved by a friend turning up and reviving her.

She was rushed to A&E but recovered and has since bounced back, becoming a mum to Billy, two, and starring in a string of TV hits.

This year she has been in Four Lives, The Teacher and No Return. She was also a judge on Starstruck and will appear on TV over Christmas in the BBC adaptation of the book Gangsta Granny Strikes Again!