Troubled Sheridan bares her heart on her sleeve
Star unveils tattooed new look as she talks of her ‘meltdown’
SHE has had an emotionally turbulent year, culminating in a very public meltdown. Now actress Sheridan Smith has unveiled a dramatic new look that could shock her fans, with a sea of tattoos covering her hand and arm. One design is a tribute to her father, whose death from cancer triggered her ‘falling apart’, and says simply: ‘Daddy’s Girl’. She admitted his passing hit her hard, causing her to ‘self-medicate’ with alcohol and sensationally quit the West End show Funny Girl. Sheridan has also had a rose tattoo on the back of her left hand, a large, intricate floral pattern on her right shoulder, and a dia- mond inked on to her finger, among several other tattoos. All are visible as she dons a sleeveless dress on an ITV special tonight.
The transformation from her former ‘girl-next-door’ image may be attributed to her rumoured romance with American hairstylist and model Graham Nation, who is also heavily tattooed – although on tonight’s show, she insists she is single.
The 36-year-old also discusses her troubles for the first time on national TV, and makes light of them by singing Gnarls Barkley’s hit Crazy.
‘I wanted it to be a little cheeky wink to my meltdown last year,’ she admits. ‘I can’t ignore it, you’ve probably read about it. I had a bad year last year with my dad passing away... but you come out the other side stronger.
‘I just thought, I’ll give a little tongue-in-cheek wink to the fact that I lost my mind a bit. But I’m back!’
Sheridan adds of her father Colin: ‘He was so funny. He was the one who taught me to laugh at myself and not take life too seriously… He was always keeping me grounded. He said I was “dragged up right”.’
Her relationship with actor Greg Wood also broke down last year, and she now blames her work ethic for an inability to settle down.
Referring to her ideal partner, she added: ‘Someone who will put up with me because I’m a handful – and, mainly, someone who makes me laugh. My dad set the bar high with being so funny and I think it’s so important to just laugh – someone who is funny and can make me giggle.’
The star has just started filming the ITV drama Clean Break, about a cleaner with a gambling addiction, and has signed her first record deal with East West Records. Her album, called Sheridan, was released on Friday and tonight’s programme, at 9pm, showcases her musical talents.
She adds that, for her next role, she wants to play her musical heroine Dolly Parton.