Stephanie Davis has "high functioning autism".
The ‘Hollyoaks’ actress has opened up about being diagnosed with the condition, admitting she used to "have to drink a bottle of wine" before she went out for the night to "calm [her] nerves".
Speaking in a YouTube video, she said: "I’ve been diagnosed with a few mental health issues, I’m not ready to talk about all of them yet – I don’t know if I ever will be.
"I have high functioning autism.
"When I was younger, the thought of going to bar I had never been to before was horrific.
"I would have to drink a bottle of wine before I went out. I do believe I’ve self-medicated now a lot because of the anxiety.
"I would sweat and would be feeling sick and I would have a tantrum like a three year old.
"I would throw myself on the bed, crying my eyes out, then I would try and get myself ready and would drink a bottle of wine to try and calm my nerves.
"That’s why I drank a lot more, because I found it so exhausting.
"The next day, I would have an emotional hangover. It was all too much.
"I’ve always hated busy [places] unless I was drinking, then I could just about get through it."
Last week, Stephanie unveiled a new "meaningful" tattoo covering up an older design – a previous inking of a large rose at the top of her thigh – which shows a woman crying while reading a book, and she is holding a glass of wine.
The design, which has stairs and cloud shapes in the background, reads: "With every drop I drink my tears refilled the glass. Staring into the abyss I died and rose again."
The 26-year-old actress shared a photo of the tattoo on Twitter and Instagram, and she added: "Fresh new meaningful inc & cover up (sic)"
It appears Stephanie – who has two-year-old son Caben-Ali with her ex Jeremy McConnell – came up with the deep message on the design herself, as she responded to a fan asking where she got "those words from", while describing them as "powerful and relatable in so many ways".
The soap star simply replied: "I wrote it xx (sic)"
Steph’s past alcohol struggles have been well-documented, as she was deemed "unfit to work" five years after joining ‘Hollyoaks’ as Sinead O’Connor, and her contract was terminated in 2015.
However, she is now back on the Channel 4 show, and earlier this year she was nominated for a number of Best Actress prizes, taking home a trophy at the Inside Soap Awards last month.
Stephanie Davis: I have high functioning autism
