British actress reveals Graham Norton joke ‘tipped her over the edge’

British actress Sheridan Smith spoke out against Graham Norton over a joke he made at her expense when she was suffering a difficult time.

The TV star said Norton’s swipe “tipped her over the edge” as she was struggling with her mental health.

Smith revealed to Stella magazine that she was suffering with depression and battling with a number of issues, including her father being diagnosed with cancer.

Her condition had an impact on her work, as she suffered a number of mishaps onstage in the West End production of Funny Girl.

She explained that after various incidents in which she forgot her lines, and faced allegations of being drunk onstage she decided to pull out of the production and take time to recover.

Smith denied she was ever drunk at work, but admitted that her problems had led her onto a downward spiral regarding her mental health.

It was at this point that chat king Norton made a joke at her expense at the glamorous BAFTA ceremony, in front of all Smith’s peers and colleagues in the British acting world.

Norton referenced Smith’s recent struggles in his joke. He said: “We’re all excited for a couple of drinks tonight.

“Or as it’s known in theatrical circles, a few glasses of technical difficulties.”

Smith admitted: “That tipped me over the edge. I just lost it.

“I was in unbelievable distress, trying to keep it all together and then a room full of people in my industry were just laughing at me…”

The Mrs Biggs actress responded by posting a series of foul-mouthed tweets, although she revealed she cannot remember much about that time.

She said: “Honestly, I don’t remember [the tweets]. Drink. Desperation. Humiliation. I fell over the edge.”

Smith’s father died later that year and she admitted she was feeling very alone and in despair.

She said: “I couldn’t cope. I’d been to see specialists about stress and anxiety. I didn’t know what was happening to me.

“One doctor said I was bipolar, another said I was suffering from extreme anxiety disorder.

“All I knew was that the man I loved most in the world was in a hospital bed and I just wanted to be with him.”

Thankfully Smith has now recovered from her difficulties and is back doing what she does best starring onstage and on-screen in numerous dramas and comedies.

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