Vodka, drugs & porn binge left me suicidal
Ex-Corrie star Sean on addictions that drove him to brink of suicide
was diagnosed with mild ADHD and offered anti-depressants that he realised he had to kick his addictions for good. “They thought I was bipolar but it’s my career that’s bipolar, not me. Last year I was living in a mansion in Africa next to Justin Bieber. When I came home, I was jobless,” he said. “They were going to put me on anti-depressants but I never started them. I went cold turkey. I stopped drinking and smoking and almost locked my phone away.”
For a lad raised in Manchester, landing a part in Coronation Street felt like a dream come true. Brought up with his sister Rachel by Deborah, Sean fell into acting aged 12 when he went to an open audition for film Cheeky, starring David Thewlis and Lesley Sharp – and landed the part. Winning the role of Callum in Corrie in 2014 gave him instant fame, until his character was killed off in 2015.
“Corrie was overnight fame, then it was gone,” he said. “People think they know you because you’re in their living rooms. I lived in Manchester city centre – I would be asked for 10 selfies on my way to the shop. The more people I met when filming Corrie, the lonelier I got.”
The feeling continued while filming Our Girl. He added “I was away from home and my partner for seven months. You do get lonely.”
Coming home to his 30th birthday, the fame that he had struggled to cope with when he landed the role of drug dealer Callum Logan in Corrie disappeared and he was out of work for nine months.
Sean said: “I did 50 auditions and didn’t get any. I looked at all my friends from school who were all settled and happy. I thought, ‘What have I done wrong here? I don’t have a job, I’ve got hardly any money.’ My depression just spiralled. “I couldn’t portray any character in any audition because I didn’t have the emotion to put into my life. I used to say, ‘I love you’ to my girlfriend and it wouldn’t sound real.” Sean split from his partner in September. He said: “It was my choice. I had to be on my own to learn what was going on.” Three months sober, Sean posted a video on Instagram about his struggles in a bid to help others. He said: “Social media is so fake. It’s why everybody is a bit depressed. I thought I should show
people that I struggle, too. “The porn was one of the things I had to be open about. The response I’ve had has been unbelievable. So many women – as well as men – tell me they are addicted to porn.”
Sean said he feels stronger than ever and is ready to get his career back on track.
He wants to get into theatre work and has been working on hit drama BBC Peaky Blinders, which films in Manchester, making tea and organising the extras.
“Being on set has been phenomenal. I was ready to walk away from acting but Peaky has re-ignited the fire,” he said.
“I don’t miss the drink or the weed. I’m an actor – how am I meant to walk into an audition and light up the room if I’m pale and my eyes are sunken?
“Instead of feeling sorry for myself and drinking and smoking my opportunities away, I know I’ve got one last shot to make a go of this.”