'I DON'T RECOGNISE THE GIRL FROM MY PAST BUT I'M PROUD OF HER

AS SHE JOINS CORONATION STREET, ACTRESS STEPHANIE DAVIS SHARES HER STORY OF RECOVERY AND HOW SHE FOUND NEW LOVE

- MITYA UNDERWOOD

There was a time when actress Stephanie Davis was rarely out of the headlines, and many of them were far from complimentary.

She spent years battling her demons in the full glare of the spotlight, following her break-out role as Sinead O’Connor in Channel 4’s Hollyoaks.

But the Stephanie that’s sitting down to chat with us today, preparing to make her incredible on-screen comeback, is no longer that “little girl”. After turning 30 earlier this year, she’s older and wiser, of course – but she’s also humble, thankful and incredibly happy.

“When I look back to that little girl and at who I am today, I’m grateful to know all that I know,” she tells us. “Everybody goes through ups and downs at different points in their lives, but these hard times are where you grow as a person, learn the most valuable life lessons and get redirected on to the path you are meant to be on.” In her darkest hour, Stephanie’s mental health hit rock bottom and she even considered taking her own life.

“I don’t recognise the girl from my past, and sometimes I find it hard to believe that was me at all, and to see what she went through,” she says. “But I have so much compassion and care for her. I’m so proud of her and all she went through and endured. It’s made me the strong and resilient woman I am today.”