When former Coronation Street actress Eve Steele steps on stage to play the role of a drug addict desperate to beat her habit, she doesn’t have to dig too deep to get inside the head of her character. Eve was just 10 years old when she first starting drinking alcohol. She was only 12 when she started taking drugs. By the age of 20, she had a heroin addiction she had accepted would probably kill her. There were days when she wanted to die. It was the triggering of a happy childhood memory – her dream as a six-year-old of being a prima ballerina – that shocked her into finding the strength to transform her life. Now the talented actress and award-winning playwright hopes the powerful play she is bringing to Glasgow’s Tron Theatre, The Political History of Smack and Crack, may help others find the strength to do the same. Eve, 48, said: “I was 21 and was actually staying in a flat that had been converted from what used to be my old doctor’s surgery. “I remember being there – my life feeling like a slow suicide. Then it struck me that I used to come to this building as a little girl. “I started thinking about how old I must have been and what I’d been like then. I’d wanted to be a prima ballerina and, instead, here I was living not even a half life because of drugs. “I thought of all the dreams I’d had – and none of them were to live like this. I found myself asking, ‘Is this what my time on this planet is going to be about?’” It was a turning point for Eve, who sought medical help and was admitted to a drug treatment centre to help her detox. She said: “I’d wanted to do something about my drug taking for a long time but it’s not about common sense and logic when you are caught up in it all. “I’d previously attended a drugs counselling service and signed up for methadone but I couldn’t stop using drugs so had ended up with two habits – methadone and heroin. For me, for so many people, I needed to be removed from my environment for a bit. “That’s one of the strengths of going into a drug treatment centre and why I think it’s so important that the more detox and rehab centres there are, the better.” Eve was a Corrie stalwart between 1995 and 1998, playing troubled supermarket worker Anne Malone. She starred alongside Weatherfield legends such as Kevin Kennedy, aka Curly Watts, while Andy McDonald – played by Nicholas Cochrane – was her on-off boyfriend. But her character met a chilling end – freezing to death after being accidentally locked in a freezer at Firman’s frozen foods. She went on to play roles in TV dramas including Spooks, Fat Friends, Doctors and Scott and Bailey, while, as a playwright and stage actress, she has toured the country and won awards for her work. Few knew that this stellar TV career was carved out despite severe troubles throughout her childhood and teen years. The therapy sessions and counselling Eve received helped her better understand the root causes of her addiction. She said: “I was still in pri
Ex-Corrie star drank booze at 10, took drugs at 12 and was heroin addict at 20
When former Coronation Street actress Eve Steele steps on stage to play the role of a drug addict desperate to beat her habit, she doesn’t have to dig too deep to get inside the head of her character. Eve was just 10 years old when she first starting drinking alcohol. She was only 12 when she started taking drugs. By the age of 20, she had a heroin addiction she had accepted would probably kill her. There were days when she wanted to die. It was the triggering of a happy childhood memory – her dream as a six-year-old of being a prima ballerina – that shocked her into finding the strength to transform her life. Now the talented actress and award-winning playwright hopes the powerful play she is bringing to Glasgow’s Tron Theatre, The Political History of Smack and Crack, may help others find the strength to do the same. Eve, 48, said: “I was 21 and was actually staying in a flat that had been converted from what used to be my old doctor’s surgery. “I remember being there – my life feeling like a slow suicide. Then it struck me that I used to come to this building as a little girl. “I started thinking about how old I must have been and what I’d been like then. I’d wanted to be a prima ballerina and, instead, here I was living not even a half life because of drugs. “I thought of all the dreams I’d had – and none of them were to live like this. I found myself asking, ‘Is this what my time on this planet is going to be about?’” It was a turning point for Eve, who sought medical help and was admitted to a drug treatment centre to help her detox. She said: “I’d wanted to do something about my drug taking for a long time but it’s not about common sense and logic when you are caught up in it all. “I’d previously attended a drugs counselling service and signed up for methadone but I couldn’t stop using drugs so had ended up with two habits – methadone and heroin. For me, for so many people, I needed to be removed from my environment for a bit. “That’s one of the strengths of going into a drug treatment centre and why I think it’s so important that the more detox and rehab centres there are, the better.” Eve was a Corrie stalwart between 1995 and 1998, playing troubled supermarket worker Anne Malone. She starred alongside Weatherfield legends such as Kevin Kennedy, aka Curly Watts, while Andy McDonald – played by Nicholas Cochrane – was her on-off boyfriend. But her character met a chilling end – freezing to death after being accidentally locked in a freezer at Firman’s frozen foods. She went on to play roles in TV dramas including Spooks, Fat Friends, Doctors and Scott and Bailey, while, as a playwright and stage actress, she has toured the country and won awards for her work. Few knew that this stellar TV career was carved out despite severe troubles throughout her childhood and teen years. The therapy sessions and counselling Eve received helped her better understand the root causes of her addiction. She said: “I was still in pri
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