Legend of EastEnders Michelle Collins has said that during the early stages of her celebrity, she felt “out of control” and that she wishes she had given herself more time and attended to her mental health.
Since her debut as Cindy Beale on EastEnders, Michelle Collins has been open about the challenges she faced as a young celebrity. She acknowledges that she frequently felt “out of control” during this time.
The 62-year-old actress acknowledged to turning to her mother for solace during those turbulent times as she thought back on the intense scrutiny that accompanied her part on the venerable BBC serial drama, which debuted in 1988. During a touching conversation with Loose Women host Kaye Adams on the How To Be 60 podcast, Michelle shared her emotional support system with her.
She said: “Lots of times I felt out of control, and I remember sometimes going to my mum and she would really worry about me a lot of time. And I’d sit and just talk to my mum about things and she’d always say ‘Well, whatever happens, whatever people have said about you, I will always love you’.”
The actress mused about the importance of having supportive people in life, saying: “You have people in your life, whatever kind of happens, you get through it.” Despite the upheavals, Michelle who shockingly returned to EastEnders in 2023 after her character was presumed dead expressed no deep regrets over her career path, believing that all her experiences have shaped her into the person she is now.
She joyously noted her playful nature and the impact of her tales on the show’s younger stars, telling the podcast: “I feel like the experience I’ve had in my life makes me the person and the woman that I am today. I like to say I’m mature but I’m still really silly a lot of the time and I still like to enjoy myself but I feel like the younger ones, the girls who play my daughters, always say my stories are hilarious.”
“And they say ‘Did that really happen? ‘ and ‘Oh here comes Michelle with another story…’ They love it!” The ex-Coronation Street star favourite reflected on her past with a hint of Edith Piaf’s famous song, adding: “Non, je ne regrette rien! I kind of feel a bit like that. My life has the person I am today.”
She looked back on her initial stardom and wished she had taken things slower for the sake of her mental wellbeing, admitting: “I have a few regrets but I’m not going to harp on about it because I think I’m a bit like whatever’s gonna be will be. In those days, I probably should’ve done a lot more yoga, meditated a lot more and taken more time out for myself.”
The star added: In those days, people didn’t take time for themselves, did they? You didn’t talk about mental health.” Society has changed now, and she notes that “Nowadays, sharing is caring. Everybody shares. I often feel we share a bit too much but in those days, you didn’t. And to admit that you had a problem or things weren’t going well was a sign of weakness.”
