Hollyoaks star Stephanie Waring has claimed she ‘begged’ for help after being diagnosed as perimenopausal.
The 45-year-old soap opera actress shares two children, Mia, 17, and 12-year-old Lexi with former partner Dan Hooper. But Stephanie has been engaged to Tom Brookes since 2021 after a one year whirlwind romance.
Stephanie briefly dated businessman Riad Erraji – ex-husband of Natasha Hamilton – in 2015 before having a short-lived romance with Rick Shore. The soap actress previously dated former EastEnders star Michael Greco for six months, between 2016 and 2017.
Stephanie is best known for playing sassy Cindy Cunningham on the Channel 4 soap. But behind the scenes, she's admitted to struggling with a health diagnosis which she received in 2021.
Talking to The Sun, Stephanie said: “I was crying all the time. I came home one day and my partner was out and my kids were with their dad.
“I just remember being on the bathroom floor screaming and begging someone to help me. The doctors were saying they couldn't do anything at that point and I couldn't cope any more.”
On her diagnosis, Stephanie said she first began having symptoms of being perimenopausal when she met her current partner Tom in December 2020.
“It should’ve been a really happy time but I was going into the other bedroom at night because I couldn’t sleep.”
Eight months after her first GP visit, Stephanie was diagnosed as perimenopausal – the transitional period before menopause.
Stephanie admits “I lost my s**t” at her diagnosis but was given the Mirena coil to ease her symptoms. But that didn’t work for her as it led to other unpleasant side effects.
After having a breakdown on the set of the Channel 4 soap, bosses referred Stephanie to a specialist who discovered exactly what the problem was.
Stephanie said: “I was so privileged to be able to find help when I was at that point but others might not be so lucky.”
Stephanie plays Cindy, a part she’s had since 1996 to 2001, before returning permanently in 2008.
She’s been at the centre of so many storylines from teenage pregnancy, post-natal depression, abusive relationships, four marriages, becoming a businesswoman, and dealing with grief after losing her husband Luke to dementia.
Currently, Cindy is recovering from a bipolar episode. She was hospitalised after a bank heist went awry resulting in the permanent exits of Grace Black, Zara Morgan and Damon Kinsella.
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