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Loose Women star Linda Robson’s heartbreaking battle with alcoholism: ‘Crisis point’, dementia fears and family tragedy that triggered it

'I got so low I couldn't be left alone'

Loose Women star Linda Robson has candidly been open about her tough battle with the bottle over the years.

The TV favourite, who shot to fame in the 1980s, managed to overcome her addiction, as well as struggles with OCD and depression.

And in her bombshell memoir, Truth Be Told, Linda – who is on James Martin’s Saturday Morning this weekend (July 20) – didn’t hold back on her struggles.

Linda Robson speaking on Loose Women
Linda has been open about her problems (Credit: ITV)

Loose Women star Linda Robson’s family tragedy

Linda previously shared how her mental health problems started in 2008.

At the time, her son Louis was out with a friend who was stabbed and tragically died. Her then 16-year-old son cradled his school friend Ben Kinsella, as he bled out on a street in London.

They went out to celebrate and then that’s what happened that night.

Linda recounted the harrowing night during an episode of Loose Women in 2016. She said: “They’d gone out for their 16th birthday.

“They’d just finished their GCSEs… sorry… they went out to celebrate and then that’s what happened that night,” she said as her voice broke.

Linda believed it would “never happen” to her, but after Ben’s murder, her mental wellbeing started to decline.

The Birds of a Feather actress recalled how her sleeping pill usage increased and so did her alcohol intake. She admitted that she went from one glass a night to a bottle an evening ahead of her 60th birthday.

Over the years, Linda’s struggles grew amid her on-and-off relationship with booze – with the mum-of-three even being put on a suicide watch at one point.

Linda Robson on Loose Women
Linda has struggled with alcohol addiction (Credit: ITV)

Linda knew it was going to reach ‘crisis point’

In her memoir, Linda revealed the extent she went to, to try and mask the smell of alcohol. According to the actress, she would try and eat oranges, and also carry a toothbrush with her wherever she went.

“It was always going to reach a crisis point,” she says, in an extract obtained by MailOnline.

While on Loose Women in 2024, Linda revealed she became “so low she couldn’t be left alone”. Linda explained: “My children were my carers when I was mentally ill. There was a point when I got so low I couldn’t be left alone.

“I wasn’t allowed to see my grandchildren until I was better. It was four years ago now and they still say: ‘Mum I’m so glad you are better, we never thought we’d get you back.'”

Loose Women stars share dementia fears for Linda

At the same time, Linda revealed how her OCD was also growing “completely out of hand”.

“Everything needed to be spotless. I was like a mad woman cleaning every day. At one point, I was having four baths a day and washing my bedding every day. People joke when they hear about OCD, but it’s not really a joke. It took over my life,” she once recalled on Loose Women.

And Linda’s behaviour had pals worried that she had dementia. During a trip to Ibiza with her Loose Women co-stars, they saw her OCD first-hand.

Nadia Sawalha told Linda: “We were so worried. We watched you losing weight, and we also talked about it. It was like a dimmer switch had been turned down, and we were losing you. Our fear many of us had was that you might have dementia.”

Talking about the Ibiza trip, Stacey Solomon also said: “I remember thinking that is the only time I’ve seen severe OCD in action.”

Linda’s recovery

Linda agreed to seek help and checked into the Nightingale Hospital “not knowing if I would come home again”.

While she was there, she admitted self-harming and said she was experiencing suicidal thoughts. As a result, someone sat outside her door making sure that she was okay for 24 hours a day.

The Loose Women star left the Nightingale Hospital in March 2019 and then checked into the Priory.

After that, she began Alcoholics Anonymous’ 12 Steps treatment plan. At the same time, she started to receive counselling. She is now “never tempted” to drink again, saying: “There’s no going back now.”

Watch Linda on James Martin’s Saturday Morning on Saturday (July 20) at 9:30am on ITV. 

Read more: Linda Robson shares stranger’s ‘terrible’ remark during outing with Pauline Quirke

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Joey Crutchley
Freelance Writer

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