Sheridan Smith says she suffered five seizures when she stopped taking anti-anxiety medication

West End actor says that she developed an addiction to anti-anxiety tablets

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Sheridan Smith has said she suffered five seizures after abruptly stopping her anti-anxiety medication, which resulted in her being rushed to A&E for treatment.

Smith, who recently gave birth to her first child with fiancé Jamie Horn, has filmed a documentary called Sheridan Smith: Becoming Mum, which airs on ITV on 1 September at 9pm.

In the documentary, the West End star speaks about her mental health struggles in the hope that she can help other women who are concerned about mental health issues resurfacing during pregnancy.

Speaking on the film, the actor explained that she “went off the deep end” after the 2016 TV Baftas, after Graham Norton made a joke at her expense to the audience.

“Graham Norton was hosting and made a joke at my expense about me being drunk,” she said.

“I was so humiliated. It’s a room full of your peers, people you want to work with or have worked with. That night, for me, was like the final straw before my brain totally went off the deep end.”

The 39-year-old stated that people may not be aware that at the time, she had “become addicted to anti-anxiety tablets”.

“That night I took myself off to a hotel on my own. In my crazy mind, I thought, ‘I’ll do it [stop taking the tablets] myself’.”

Smith stated that it was a “miracle” a friend of hers happened to call her and come to the hotel.

“It’s like someone was looking out for me because what I didn’t realise is that if you stop these tablets abruptly, you seizure,” she said.

“I seizured five times and got rushed to A&E and she’s the one who got me breathing again.”

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) explains that anti-anxiety medication can help reduce symptoms of anxiety, including extreme worry and panic attacks.

When individuals stop taking benzodiazepines, which the organisation says is the most common form of anti-anxiety medication, it is recommended that they do so “gradually over an extended period of time”.

“This approach reduces withdrawal effects and helps ensure success in stopping,” the CAMH states.

The ITV documentary follows Smith during her pregnancy as she speaks out her mental health issues, filming her attending scans, pre-natal classes and therapy sessions.

The Cleaning Up actor said that during the early stages of her pregnancy, she had “just got myself to a good place and I thought, ‘Please don’t let this be a turning point where things change for me’.”

She stated that the day her son first smiled at her “was more amazing and emotional even than the day he was born, because you suddenly think, ‘Oh my god – you love me back!’”.

“Suddenly all those sleepless nights and all that worry goes out the window,” Smith said. “You look in those little eyes and the love you feel – it’s like a connection I’ve never felt.”

To contact charity Frank for guidance on addiction, you can call the 24/7 helpline on 0300 123 6600, text FRANK to 82111 or send an email at talktofrank.com/contact.

You can contact the Anxiety UK helpline by calling 03444 775 774, between 9.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays.