Lesley Joseph has heaped praise on her close friend and Birds of a Feather co-star Linda Robson, who told fans at the start of the year about her struggle with mental health and battle with alcohol addiction. Appearing on This Morning on Thursday, former Strictly star Lesley confessed that Linda has managed to come through the other side. "She fought her way through it, she came through the other end," Lesley shared. "I had lunch with her the other day, burst into tears because she's had a tough time."
WATCH: Lesley Joseph Talks About Brave Friend Linda Robson
"She's come through it, and she's been very open," the actress added. "She's said, 'ok, this is what I've been through and now I'm getting on.'" On focusing with going forward with her life, Lesley continued: "I think a lot of things have been written about her during the time she was going through it. I think she just thought, 'ok I'm going to lay a few things to rest and I'm going to get on with my life.' And that is what she is doing."
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In January, Linda bravely detailed her battle with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, anxiety and depression, and a six-week stint in a treatment facility. During an appearance on Loose Women, the 61-year-old - who took a year off from the ITV daytime show - explained that her OCD reached severe levels as a result of taking medication for sleep. "I went to see somebody about it and they gave me a tablet," the star began. "But I had a really bad reaction to it. I had a proper meltdown, I got really bad anxiety, I got really bad depression and my OCD kicked into overdrive."
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe two stars appeared in Birds of a Feather together
Linda went on to reveal that friend and fellow panellist Stacey Solomon helped her on her journey to recovery after spotting signs of her OCD, such as seeing her need her phone on full charge at all times. The mum-of-four explained: "I'd have the mobile chargers, like five or six of them, ready to charge if it ran out." After six weeks in the facility, Linda came out on more medication than before and it was making her hyper, leading her to turn to alcohol. "The medication they were giving me was making me hyper instead of it calming me down so then I started drinking again because I couldn't face the day," she said.
READ: Linda Robson thanks Loose Women cast after opening up about OCD battle
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