Coronation Street star Beverley Callard opened up about her worries about being diagnosed with bipolar disorder during a frank and honest interview on This Morning.
The soap actress has had a well documented battle with depression over the past few years.
Speaking to hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield on the ITV daytime show, she also revealed how close to suicide she was during her darkest times.
Fortunately, Beverley, 59, revealed that she feels she has her depression under control but is concerned that she’s experienced some symptoms similar to bipolar disorder.
She told Phil and Holly: “My psychiatrist at present, he is convinced that I am bipolar too.
“He is convinced of it. The way he explained it to me is that I don’t get these amazing highs or hallucinations.
“But I get the tremendous lows. I don’t get the good bits I get the bad bits.
“But now I am much more even and more relaxed.”
Beverley admitted that the worst period was after her medication had been withdrawn.
She had been taking it for 12 years but after it became unavailable, it drove her into a “black hole”.
It was during this period that she found herself unable to get out of bed and considering taking her own life.
She said: “I was completely suicidal. I couldn’t leave the house.
“I didn’t leave the bedroom. I wouldn’t take phone calls.
“The important point I must stress is you do get better. As long as you get the right help, be it medication or counselling.”
The main reason that she has made her way back from the brink though has been due to her husband, Jon McEvan.
Joining her on the This Morning sofa, Beverley described him as “her rock”.
He explained that he started studying counselling at night school in a bid to help Beverley but admitted: “It helped me to help Beverley, but it didn’t help her.”
After a short spell out of Corrie in March, Beverley said that she is “all good” now and viewers were quick to hold her up as an inspiration as they posted their thoughts on Twitter.