Linda Robson has revealed an addiction to pulls left her self-medicating with vodka.
The 61-year-old star said a negative reaction to an anti-depressant was the cause of her erratic behaviour and led to her breakdown – which resulted in three stints at different recovery clinics before she began the tough road to recovery.
After an 18 month break, the TV Loose Women star recently returned to the daytime talk show after things came to a head in June 2018 during a sun-soaked trip to Ibiza with co-stars, Stacey Solomon , Nadia Sawalha , Andrea McLean, Kaye Adams and Saira Khan.
"I was trying to act normal and be part of the gang, but I was struggling to get through the day," she told the Sun Online .
Linda Robson was taken to rehab by Stacey Solomon mid-way through Loose Women Ibiza trip
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"I’d sneaked a couple of bottles of vodka with me, just to knock me out at night, but it wasn’t working," she added.
“I’d already had a couple of sleepless nights and, by the third, I ended up having a proper meltdown."
Linda's dependence on alcohol to self-medicate had been building up for a while, which was ironic as it was giving up alcohol completely as part of new health regime, which later ended up causing problems for her.
"The weight just dropped off me, but at night I’d think, ‘Oh, where’s my glass of wine?'" she says.
"I’d still take my sleeping tablet, but it didn’t work. Then I upped it to two but was still sleeping less.
"That’s when I started drinking again.
I had loads of champagne downstairs that people had given me over the years, but I didn’t like it so hadn’t drunk it.
She continues: "Suddenly I started drinking it, and I’d buy vodka too, even though I’d never touched a spirit before in my life.
"I was using it to try and medicate myself and get to sleep — and that’s when everything started going wrong."
And even when she sought help, things didn't get much better for Linda.
Linda told how doctors put her on an anti-depressant and her weight dropped to 13stone to eight.
She says Stacey Solomon urged her to go to rehab and get help.
Linda found a residential clinic up North and checked in for a six week stay.
Linda began battling crippling anxiety in 2008 after her son Louis' pal Ben Kinsella was stabbed to death whilst the pair had been out celebrating their GCSEs.
After the tragic event she has always worried about the safety of her children.
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