Sheridan Smith breaks down in tears as she remembers brother’s tragic death when she was just 8 years old
SHERIDAN Smith had to stop filming her ITV documentary when she broke down in tears talking about her late brother.
The 39-year-old actress, opened up on the tragic events that have shaped her life of ITV’s Becoming Mum.
One of the first major events that affected her was the death of her “older, older brother”, Julian.
The star of Cilla and Gavin & Stacey gave producers exclusive access to her life in the four months up to the birth of son Billy in May.
She and fiancé Jamie Horn, 31, had to scrap plans for a natural birth as Billy arrived early, forcing Sheridan to have an emergency caesarean section.
She started crying and asks the crew to stop filming as she says: “It was all perfect until my brother Julian got unwell.
“He was diagnosed with cancer and spent a couple of years on the couch unwell. I’d do little performances for him.
“He’d encourage me to sing and dance for him and I’d massage his feet.”
But one moment about remembering her brother pushed the actress to the brink.
She remembered the night he passed away and “all the screaming” but to this day was not sure what happend.
Sheridan did not want to bring it up with her parents since then, because she did not want to bring up painful memories for them.
Viewers loved Sheridan’s honesty and willingness to share her emotional story.
One Twitter user wrote: “Totally just had some tears then when @Sheridansmith1 was talking about her brother.”
Another added: “You should be so proud of yourself!! Talking about you becoming a mum, and your mental health story is so powerful. Knowing it’s okay not to be okay!! And no matter who you are, or your background we all have a story. X”
And a third said: “Watching #becomingmum @Sheridansmith1 I’ve cried loads already has somebody who has gone through anxiety and depression it really does scare you to speak out of fear of losing your kids but it is ok to admit you are not ok and need help.”
Sheridan also opened up about her nightmare at the Baftas in 2016.
Fighting back tears, Sheridan, 39, recalled: “Graham Norton was hosting and made a joke, basically at my expense, about me being a drunk.
“I was so humiliated, you know, it’s a room full of your peers. And people you want to work with, or have worked with.
“That night for me was like the final straw, before my brain totally went off the deep end.”
At the time, Sheridan’s West End production of Funny Girl was halted due to “technical difficulties”.
Some fans believed it was down to her drinking after she reportedly slurred lines — unaware she was heartbroken that her father, Colin, had been diagnosed with cancer.
Launching the awards show, BBC chat star Norton said: “Let’s get started because, of course, the sooner we begin, the sooner we can have a couple of drinks . . . or as they say in theatrical circles, a couple of glasses of technical difficulties.”
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The actress and singer said that swipe tipped her over the edge. She added: “What people didn’t realise was that I’d become addicted to anti-anxiety tablets.
“That night, I took myself off to a hotel on my own. In my crazy mind I thought, ‘I don’t wanna be in rehab — I’ll do it myself’ so I went there and I just stopped my tablets.
“What I didn’t realise is, that if you stop the tablets abruptly, you seizure. And, to cut a long story short, I got seizures five times and got rushed into A&E.”