Linda Robson took a year off from ‘Loose Women’ after a "meltdown" with her OCD.
The 61-year-old actress – who hadn’t been seen on the ITV daytime show since January 2019 – returned as a guest on Friday (10.01.20) and explained why she had to step away.
She told her co-stars: "I was having a meltdown. I came off the wine, and I used to take a tablet to help me sleep every night. When I came off the wine, I upped the tablet, and then I got concerned about taking the tablet.
"So I went to see somebody about it and they gave me a tablet – I won’t mention the name but I had a really bad reaction to it, a proper meltdown.
"I got really bad anxiety, really bad depression, and my OCD kicked into overdrive."
Linda revealed she was taking "four baths" each day as she suffered with her obsessive-compulsive disorder.
She added: "At one point, I was having four baths a day, I was washing my bedding every day.
"People joke when they hear someone saying about OCD they think it’d a bit of a joke or whatever, but it’s not actually a joke, it took over my life. I couldn’t clean everything enough."
Commenting on her recovery, Linda – who revealed she was drinking to "self-medicate" before seeking treatment and hasn’t drank alcohol in 11 months – noted there wasn’t a quick fix but she felt like she was "finally" out the other side.
She admitted: "If you’d ever told me, I’d always been really positive. [There’s been no quick fix], it’s been a long, long time. Touch wood, I’m finally there!"
In October, she previously confirmed she would be back on the panel show and was excited to return.
She said at the time: "[I can’t wait for] the gossip in the green room and our little chats. That’s my favourite part – things you never see on air."
Linda Robson reveals Loose Women break after OCD meltdown
