Sheridan Smith: Actress opens up on 'humiliation' after Graham Norton made joke at Bafta Awards about Funny Girl stint

The Cilla and I Fought The Law star has become one of the UK’s most beloved actresses, appearing in critically acclaimed television dramas as well as appearing on the West End in notable productions.

However, she revealed that she was left “humiliated” during the 2016 Bafta Awards after host Graham Norton made a joke seemingly at her expense. Sheridan was, at the time, appearing in a West End production of Funny Girl but was forced to miss a number of performances with her understudies stepping in.

At the time, Sheridan was known to be dealing with personal and mental health issues following her father’s terminal cancer diagnosis. Media reports also speculated over reported alcohol abuse and audiences who were left disappointed with her performances on stage.

The Funny Girl production team issued a statement at the time, which explained that Sheridan would be taking a leave of absence from the show due to “stress and exhaustion”.

Following this, at the 2016 Bafta Awards ceremony, presenter Graham Norton appeared to nod towards Sheridan’s situation, saying in a quip on stage: “We're all excited for a couple of drinks tonight. Or, as it's known in theatrical circles, a few glasses of technical difficulties.”

The talented actress has since opened up on the embarrassment she felt after hearing Graham’s joke at the ceremony. Speaking to The Times, Sheridan said: “It's reclaiming it because after what happened ... I didn't ever want it to get out so publicly.

"You're embarrassed. I felt ashamed, and I still sometimes feel it, like, 'Oh, I wish that part of my life hadn't happened.' But it did. It's like my tattoos. Oh, God, I wish I didn't have them, but I've got them now."

She added that she didn’t blame anyone for the jibe, saying: "That was no one's fault. That was just on me. I was in a bad state at the time. But I think you're right, it maybe wouldn't happen now. It is a bit kinder now."

It was later revealed that Sheridan has been rushed to A&E later that same evening after collapsing, suffering five seizures which caused her to stop breathing. The revelation was made in her ITV documentary Sheridan smith: Becoming Mum, which aired four years later.

She said in the documentary: "I was so humiliated, you know, it's a room full of your peers. And people you want to work with or have worked with. That night for me was like the final straw, before my brain totally went off the deep end.

"What people didn't realise was that I'd become addicted to anti-anxiety tablets. That night, I took myself off to a hotel on my own. In my crazy mind I thought, 'I don't wanna be in rehab - I'll do it myself' so I went there and I just stopped my tablets.

"What I didn't realise is, that if you stop the tablets abruptly, you seizure. And, to cut a long story short, I got seizures five times and got rushed into A&E. Weirdly, a friend of mine rang me and she came to the hotel. It's a miracle that she did. It was like someone was looking out for me. She's the one who got me breathing again."

In the years following this, Sheridan has gone from strength to strength, recently being critically acclaimed for her role in the ITV drama I Fought The Law.

She returns to the stage in a production of Woman In Mind, alongside Romesh Ranganathan. It is currently playing at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London until February 28 before stints at Sunderland Empire from March 4-7 and Glasgow’s Theatre Royal from March 10-14.