Michael Le Vell has admitted to taking cocaine before and after his trial for false child sex allegations.
The ‘Coronation Street’ star was cleared of 12 child sex abuse charges, including rape, at Preston Crown Court last year, but he’s now admitted that he was so low during the ordeal that he turned to drugs.
He said: "I’ve always been dead against drugs and have turned them down in the past. I’ve seen what they can do to people. But I had never felt so low. I knew I was innocent but everything was closing in on me.
"And when someone offered them to me, I just agreed. The first time I ever did cocaine was in the lead up to my trial. There were some bad influences around me and it felt like an escape. Now I’m so ashamed of what I did."
Having been cleared of all charges, Michael is now set to return to the ITV soap – which sees him as car mechanic Kevin Webster – and although he admits to taking cocaine after his trial as well, he claims he was clean before he began working again.
He told the Sunday Mirror newspaper: "I hurt in myself afterwards and I felt like I was losing control. The only thing that has got me back on track is going back to Corrie.
"This was all while I was off work. It’s over. Going back on set has put me back on an even keel."
Michael Le Vell admits to taking cocaine
