Helen Flanagan has shared a deeply upsetting moment from her time on Coronation Street, revealing how a comment from a co-star left her broken and in tears. As excerpts from her upcoming autobiography come up, the focus has turned to one incident that had a lasting emotional impact on her during an already difficult period in her life.
The Comment That Left Helen “Broken” Backstage
In her new book, Head & Heart: Break-ups, Breakdowns and Being Rosie, Helen Flanagan recalls an incident involving fellow Coronation Street actor Antony Cotton, who plays Sean Tully.
She explains that he made a joke about her being on medication, something he appeared to treat as light-hearted banter but which devastated her. Helen writes that Antony announced her presence by joking, “Here comes Helen Flanagan. You hear her rattling before you see her.”
While the comment earned laughs around them, she says it reduced her to tears. To him, it may have been a throwaway gag, but for her, it touched a raw and deeply personal reality. She admits she didn’t even have the strength to respond.
Instead of defending herself, Helen walked away in silence, headed to the toilets, and cried uncontrollably. She describes feeling completely broken in that moment, overwhelmed by the cruelty of the remark and how casually her struggles were dismissed.
Why the Joke Hurt So Much at That Point in Her Life
Helen makes it clear that the comment didn’t exist in isolation. At the time, she was already dealing with serious mental health challenges, which made the jibe hit even harder.
In the book, she opens up about her experiences with postnatal depression, PMDD, OCD, and ADHD, explaining that she was far from emotionally resilient when the incident happened. She reflects on the period after the birth of her daughter, Matilda, describing how happy and content she initially felt.
Helen says she threw herself into motherhood, and enjoyed pushing the pram, walking in the park, and running errands. That happiness slowly came out as anxiety and intrusive thoughts took over. Helen explains that her mental wellbeing plummeted, leaving her vulnerable and frightened. It only amplified the impact of being mocked over something as sensitive as medication.
Despite the pain tied to that memory, Helen says she chose to include it in her autobiography for a reason. In an Instagram post, she said that talking about mental health helps people feel less alone and allows room for humour as well. Stay tuned to Soap Opera Daily for more Coronation Street spoilers.