Helen Flanagan has confessed to feeling very low before giving birth to her daughter Matilda in 2015.

The actress, who is returning to Coronation Street in her role as Rosie Webster after leaving the soap in 2012, has opened up about an instance in which she considered taking her own life.

The 26-year-old was diagnosed with ADHD, depression and bipolar disorder – and was suffering from panic attacks – and had stopped taking her medication around the time she left Corrie after 10 years

She said: “One day I was driving into the ITV studios and I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if I just crashed my car now and it was all over?’”

She added, to The Sun: “I’ve suffered from depression. It was the main reason I had to leave ­Coronation Street.

“I was down and it was very intense — I don’t think I was very well.”

But she added that things have improved for her since welcoming her little girl with boyfriend Scott Sinclair, and she said that Matilda has inspired her to “be the best person I can be”.

Doting mother Helen said: “I feel like I’ve massively matured now I’ve got Matilda. It’s definitely changed me for the better and made me happy, because I feel that it’s given me a reason.”

Helen will reprise the role that made her famous soon, with her first scenes airing in February 2017.