EASTENDERS star Michelle Collins has revealed how she regrets doing MasterChef when she “wasn’t right” mentally.
The soap actress admitted that she was in a “really bad way” before taking part in the celebrity cooking competition last August.
Michelle, 59, told fans she felt like she “shouldn’t have” taken part in the show as her late mum Mary was coming to the end of her cancer battle.
The star, who has previously suffered from depression and an eating disorder, has revealed now she’s “stronger” and recognises her mistakes.
“I did Celebrity MasterChef and I was really in a bad way,” Michelle told Notebook in a candid interview about her mental health.
“Mentally, I wasn’t right and I shouldn’t have done it. Then in April, mum died – so last year was not a happy time for me.
“We all go through times in our life when we suffer from mental health issues, and we should talk about it. I did write about it in my book, including the time when I attempted suicide.
“I’ve become much stronger as I’ve gotten older, but I still want to help other people as much as I can.”
She went on to detail how her mum had sadly passed away following a two-year battle with cancer last year.
The soap star took to Instagram to confirm the news of her mother’s passing with fans, showing a snap of the mother-daughter duo.
“My beautiful Mummy passed away on Friday 30th April. We are all devastated,” she wrote to her fans.
‘She leaves behind her partner Sid, daughters Vicky and me, 3 grandchildren Charlotte, Jack and Maia and her nephews and nieces whom she loved very much and her little dog.
“She was the strongest, kindest woman I knew. Fierce, protective, passionate, clever, funny, articulate. She gave Vicky and I our drive and hunger for life.”
Michelle rose to fame as Cindy Beale in EastEnders in 1988 – when she joined the soap cast for a two-year stint.
She returned to the Square for a special appearance before departing the long-running BBC show for good in 1998.
The actress went on to join Coronation Street as Stella Price in 2011.
Michelle left the soap three years later, as she struggled to juggle her parenting resposibilities with daughter Maia, 24.
She shares her daughter with ex-partner Fabrizio Tassalini, and has been with boyfriend Mike Dawson, 38, for nine years.
