Davinia Taylor has opened up about the impact of losing custody of her son Grey to her ex-husband Dave Gardner has had on her life. The Hollyoaks actress, who is set to run the London Marathon this Sunday in support of mental health charity Mind, admitted that losing the custody battle was the biggest "catalyst" for keeping her on the straight and narrow. "That humiliation, to be honest, that spurred me on to keep sober and keep on the program," she said on Thursday's Lorraine. "That was a catalyst that took me into the depths of depression, the support I received was monumental. Well, I would be dead. I was so terrified."
© Photo: RexDavinia Taylor has opened up about her depression battle
Davinia explained how she suffered with depression following the birth of her oldest son, who is now ten. "Professional help, and the support of people who have already been there, who've walked the walk, because it’s all so quiet and hush hush," she shared. "And for people like me to speak out and to say I had post-natal depression, I didn't ask for it, I didn’t take something to give it to me, it just hit me. I don’t know whether it's genetic, or hormonal, but what happened to me, it happened. I went into a massive deep hole and I couldn’t get out of it without professional help."
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© Photo: Getty ImagesThe soap star was married to Dave Gardner
Discussing the aftermath of her divorce from Dave, who is now with actress Liv Tyler, Davinia continued: "It's been the worst and longest drawn-out experience I've ever had. I just want him to move out and move on. I wish I'd heard about quickie divorce packs from Tesco sooner. Before I went into this I thought there was such a thing as a quickie divorce, but that couldn’t be further from the truth." Speaking about her life now, with partner Matthew Leyde, and their four children, the actress said: "This time it’s much more quiet and calm, we don’t go out, we don’t party, we eat super healthy, and it’s all about the kids. It is non-stop kids – four boys in the house. It is the noisiest household in London I swear."
