Tina Malone has admitted that she wrote a suicide note as she came close to taking her own life during her "year from hell".
The former Shameless star says the only thing that stopped her from killing herself was the thought of leaving her five-year-old daughter Flame behind.
Tina, 56, has been through a lot lately.
Her husband Paul Chase lost his job and they lost their home.
Tina also fell out with her eldest daughter Danielle, 37, and ended up in court after she shared a picture that allegedly showed one of James Bulger's killers as a grown up.
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She told the Daily Star : "It's been the year from hell. I was suffering with severe depression and I was suicidal.
"I'd penned my letters and planned how I'd do it, but the only thing that stopped me was Flame."
Tina says she now feels like her life has turned around.
She added: "I'm back in work now on Channel 5 show Clink, Paul is back in full-time work and my relationship with Danielle is back on track."
Last month, Tina pleaded guilty to sharing a picture online that allegedly showed James Bulger killer John Venables as an adult.
Venables and his co-murderer Robert Thompson have their adult identities protected by a lifetime anonymity order, meaning those who breach it - including on their social media profiles - risk a jail sentence and a fine.
Tina was ordered to pay £10,000 in legal costs as she swerved jail with an eight-month suspended sentence.
Her fans were so upset about the situation that they offered to pay her legal costs for her, but she begged them not to help.
Tina broke down on This Morning and sobbed to Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield that she could no longer afford to take five-year-old daughter Flame to Disneyland Paris.
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In response, someone set up a crowdfunding page to solicit donations that would help Tina pay off her costs, after she cried about work opportunities drying up amid her mental breakdown in December 2017.
But grateful Tina has begged her followers not to donate to her legal costs, instead pointing them in the direction of the James Bulger Memorial Trust, of which she used to be an ambassador.
* Samaritans (116 123) operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year. If you prefer to write down how you’re feeling, or if you’re worried about being overheard on the phone, you can email Samaritans at jo@samaritans.org
