Amanda Redman endured a "hideous" 2014.
The 58-year-old actress lost her mother Joan and her close friend and former ‘Loose Women’ presenter Lynda Bellingham within the space of 24 hours, and has admitted the emotional turmoil left her feeling "so lonely".
The ‘New Tricks’ star said: "I lost Lynda on the Sunday and my mother on the Monday. Their funerals were just days apart.
"It wasn’t great. My husband drove me up to attend them but then he had to go back to London. I made my way into this apartment they had sorted for me.
"It was so empty in this baron place. I felt so lonely. I can’t explain it but I just burst into tears. I didn’t want to be there."
Amanda admitted her mother’s death hit her particularly hard, but said her acting work proved to be a big help.
She told ITV’s ‘Lorraine’: "I knew I was going to miss her terribly but I didn’t know how empty it would make me feel.
"Working helped. It stopped me from wallowing and becoming too self-indulgent – which I’m very prone to."
What’s more, Amanda credited her husband Damian Schnabel with helping her to come to terms with the situation.
Amanda – who tied the knot in 2010 – shared: "He is the biggest support.
"I don’t know what I would have done without him. I’m so happy I married him."
Amanda Redman recalls her ‘hideous’ year
