Beverley Callard has revealed that people within the industry said her mental health issues might make her “flaky and unreliable.”
The Coronation Street actress made the comments to Phil Trow on his BBC Radio Manchester show.
“I had people in my industry say to me ‘well you’d be great for this or you’d be great doing that particular thing but you’ve had a mental health problem and you might be flaky and unreliable,’” she told him.
“I’ve never been flaky and unreliable in my life and I know I never will be. So the stigmas are still there, but it’s getting smaller.”
The actress, who plays Liz Macdonald in the ITV soap added:
“I lacked confidence very much and I had very low self-esteem and the clothes I had to wear for Liz were very unforgiving. It was silly things like that that would make me feel much more self-conscious and I think that could be a part of it but, of course, it is not the cause,” she explained.
However, she said that while it was difficult to work as an actress as her mental health worsened, she did believe that her television profile helped when she was on the road to recovery.
“I had very severe clinical depression and I think I put myself under pressure. I try not to but I am a worrier. I am a panicker. I tend to be a big people pleaser just because I’m insecure as a person. And I think those factors contribute to it.
“I think once you’re on the road to recovery the job can be a great help.”
The full interview can be heard on BBC Sounds.
