Sheridan Smith reveals Graham Norton quip that tipped her over the edge

Sheridan Smith has revealed how a joke by Graham Norton tipped her into a public meltdown as she suffered from ‘double-grieving’.

The actress, 44, has said her mental health crisis came about after her father was diagnosed with the same cancer that killed her brother.

She hit rock bottom in 2016 while playing Fanny Brice in the West End show Funny Girl, which was cancelled mid-performance after it was suggested she was slurring her words.

Sheridan Smith has revealed how a joke by Graham Norton tipped her into a public meltdown as she suffered from ‘double-grieving’. Pic: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images

Ms Smith was then accused of drinking heavily, and during that year’s TV Baftas, Corkman Norton, 63, as host, joked about her with a reference to ‘a few glasses of technical difficulties, as it’s known in theatrical circles’.

Ms Smith said she had become addicted to anti-anxiety medication but did not take any on the night of the awards, leading to her being admitted to hospital with seizures. Afterwards, she missed three shows in a row and took a leave of absence.

Her father had just been diagnosed with cancer, from which he died. Her brother, Julian, 18, had died of the same disease when she was eight.

Sheridan Smith has revealed how a joke by Graham Norton tipped her into a public meltdown as she suffered from ‘double-grieving’. Pic: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images

The star, who is back in the West End in Alan Ayckbourn’s dark comedy Woman In Mind, said she had been ‘doublegrieving’.

Referring to Norton’s joke, she told The Times: ‘That was no one’s fault. That was just on me. I was in a bad state at the time. But I think, it maybe wouldn’t happen now. It is a bit kinder now.’

Reporting by Rory Tingle