Coronation Street actress Beverley Callard has opened up about the true extent of her depression, revealing that she collapsed on the set after secretly struggling with the illness for over a year. Appearing on Thursday's This Morning, the 60-year told Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford: "I pushed myself too far rather than going to the GP immediately. I knew I wasn't myself but, over 18 months it was slowly getting worse and then I collapsed at work. I'd done every scene all day and then collapsed when I finished."
Beverley Callard said she collapsed on the set of Corrie
The star, who is famed for playing Rovers Return landlady Liz McDonald, went on to admit that she is now finding it hard to secure new work. "Those companies will now never employ me," she shared, adding: "There's a tendency to think you're flaky and unreliable, but it's actually the opposite. People who are ill, we're people-pleasers, and actually you put yourself under such pressure, you let yourself down. Someone once said it's just like having a broken leg, in that you can make it better once you get the right treatment. But the difference is with mental illness or clinical depression that each treatment is individual."
STORY: Beverley Callard reveals she contemplated suicide after her struggle with depression
Beverley has been open about her depression, previously confessing that it was brought on by stress in her personal life, especially after the death of close friend Anne Kirkbride - who played Deirdre Barlow. The actress also said she will continue to help those who suffer from any kind of depression. She explained: "So many people, even if they're surrounded by people, they feel alone. They're in that black hole on their own. It's just good to know that other people feel the same way."
