Coronation Street icon Helen Flanagan is one of the most relatable stars in modern soap history – thanks to the fact she keeps her heart firmly on her sleeve.
The ITV star, has drawn support and praise for the way she openly discusses all aspects of her life in public – including her happiest points, as well as her lowest. And on Wednesday, some fans may feel they can relate to her even more after she received a driving ban following a high profile court case.
Helen was charged with failing to give information relating to the identification of the driver of a vehicle involved in a speeding incident. The 34-year-old has previously spoken candidly about her struggles with ADHD and co-parenting with her former fiancé Scott Sinclair – who she was in a relationship with from 2009 until 2022 and with whom she shares three children.
Helen bravely shared last year how she once feared her three children would “be better without her” as she struggled with her mental health. The two-time I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! star was sent into psychosis for a few days, something she was unaware of, thanks to a bad reaction to a medication.
In addition to helping others by discussing her breakdown, Helen has also impressed fans thanks to her candidness about co-parenting with an ex. Helen and footballer Scott, also 34, parted ways in 2022 after first meeting at the age of 19 and welcoming three children into the world together.
Last year, Helen exclusively shared with the Mirror how she suffered a breakdown after splitting from her partner of 13 years Scott Sinclair, admitting she spiralled downwards into a “very scary” psychotic episode. The onset of her ordeal was masked by what appeared to be an idyllic New Year’s holiday in Bali with their kids Matilda, eight, Delilah, five, and Charlie, three. Despite sharing cheerful snaps online, Helen confessed she was battling inner chaos.
She shared: “My kids weren’t with me on Christmas Day because I like to be really fair with my ex, and it sounds so silly because it was only one day, but it hit me really hard. The plan was for me to take them to Bali for New Year instead, and although I enjoyed it, I didn’t feel myself. I was struggling. I felt terrible when I got back, I was crying all the time, I felt so low.”
In the run-up to Mental Health Awareness Week last year, Helen seemed the epitome of joy in a photoshoot on the Merseyside coast with her children. However, speaking to the Mirror, she became tearful as she acknowledged the deep-seated trauma from her 2022 breakup with Scott, 35.
Helen shared her heart-wrenching experience, saying: “I don’t see it as a break-up, I see it as a divorce. We were together 13 years. But instead of processing it all, I threw myself into work and shut off my emotions. I just went into survival mode. Then it all came to the surface earlier this year and I was mentally and physically breaking down.”
She also opened up about her struggle to feel “normal” and how medicating her ADHD led to an “awful reaction” and a subsequent psychotic episode. An emotional Helen recounted: “It was really sad and very scary. I was seeing things and I felt like I was in danger all the time.” She spoke about the difficulty of not understanding what was happening during that time.
Her nanny’s quick thinking led to her parents being informed of her condition, and Helen made the tough decision for her children to stay with them while she sought help. She explained: “I wanted to do what was best for the kids and that was the right decision. I saw them every day because it was important for them to see me getting stronger.”
Unfortunately, her health issues forced her to withdraw from the theatre tour of Cluedo 2, where she was set to play Miss Scarlett. Helen admitted: “I was having a breakdown, I couldn’t have travelled alone. I needed my friends and family, and to be there for my kids.”
Helen, who became a household name as Rosie Webster on Coronation Street from the tender age of nine and appeared in over 1,000 episodes until 2018, opened up about her heartbreak over Cluedo 2: “I was heartbroken. It was my dream job and I thought I’d ruined my career. But I knew I needed to deal with things so I wouldn’t ever get to that place again.”
She has since praised her replacement and fellow Corrie star Ellie Leach, 23, for her “brilliant” performance. In her journey towards healing, Helen has rekindled her passion for exercise and found solace in decluttering her home, which she believes has helped her cope with past trauma.
She reflected on the importance of being there for her children: “I love work but my kids need me at home more. Having that time off was healthy, it changed my life in a way.” Her personal growth has also positively impacted her co-parenting dynamic with ex-partner and Bristol Rovers footballer Scott Sinclair. Instead of fleeing to London to drink when feeling lonely, Helen now enjoys staying in, indulging in TV, Pilates, running, or swimming.
On Wednesday 15 January 2025, Helen learned that she had been banned from driving for six months after being caught speeding twice in 16 days. She attended Wirral Magistrates’ Court and was charged with failing to give information relating to the identification of the driver of a vehicle.
Joined by her partner Robbie Talbot as she made her way inside the court, the soap icon claimed her boyfriend Robbie was to blame as she was “too busy as a working single mum” and didn’t remember if she had read the court papers. “I’m so confused. My life would be unbelievably difficult without a driving licence,” she told the court.
She also added: “I said to my boyfriend, you need to reply to this. I was not driving the car at the time and I said you need to sort it. I was annoyed. It was not me who had the points,” before she was quizzed on whether she had actually seen the court papers. She added: “I am a single mum. I have three children, I work constantly. I cannot remember. I am a busy working single mum. I cannot remember. I do not do my paperwork. I literally get my dad to do my paperwork. Yes, I think I did because I was worried if I could drive my car or not. But I cannot remember. I am really confused, I do not understand. But my boyfriend has got paperwork which shows that he responded.”
Prosecutors said they had not received any documentation, whilst it was advised that Helen could face a ban from driving as each of the offences carry six penalty points. Mr Aspinwall told her: “It was your responsibility to get back to the chief constable. On the next occasion, it is for a sentence. On that date you could be losing your driving licence.”
In August, Helen opened up about co-parenting with her ex and some of the challenges. Helen, who parted ways with footballer fiancé Scott after a 13-year relationship in 2022, is mum to three little ones: Matilda, 7, Delilah, 5, and Charlie, aged 3.
Helen took to Instagram with a sincere post, revealing that she had considered homeschooling last year while planning for a six-month theatre tour and hoping to bring the kids along. However, this idea was not supported by their father, Scott.
Alongside a sun-kissed picture from Marbella with her children, she shared: “I don’t really like the routine of being back at school and I like being spontaneous and having the freedom with the kids.” She added, “I actually did look at home schooling last year when I was going to do a six months theatre tour and wanted them with me but their daddy really didn’t want them to home school even though it would only be for a short period of time.”
Despite questioning traditional schooling methods, Helen acknowledged the advantages of keeping kids in standard schools, stressing the importance of socialising for children. She recounted, “I asked Matilda what her favourite part of the holiday was and it was all just about the friends she’s made and playing with other kids.”
Helen also revealed the challenges of being a single mum, especially when it comes to holidays with her three young children. She shared, “Since being a single mummy I always go on holiday with my friend so I have an extra pair of hands with the kids as it would just be too hard with the travelling and Charlie can’t swim yet so constantly needs an eye on him x”.
In October, Helen revealed she was no longer on speaking terms with Scott. Lifting the lid on their strained relationship, she told the Life of Bryony podcast: “No disrespect to the father of my children, you know, I’ve had three children with him, and I always have a lot of love for him.
“We’re both good people, but together we were very toxic. I mean, I’m on block at the moment on Scott’s phone. I really am. I’m on block. We do each other’s f*****g head in. But I know he always will have a love for me, you know, you always have kind of a respect for each other, I know he’s not a bad guy, we’ve just got our own s**t going on.”
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