Casualty's Siobhan McKenzie star Melanie Hill's 'struggles' amid secret drug addiction battle

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Melanie Hill, who portrayed Roy Cropper's love interest Cathy Matthews before leaving the ITV soap in 2022, bravely opened up about her hidden struggle with prescription drug addiction.

While she was a part of BBC's Waterloo Road, the 62 year old actress revealed that osteoarthritis left her in "horrendous" pain.

After undergoing a hip replacement, she was prescribed Co-codamol painkillers, but she became dependent on them, reports the Express. "I needed a stick but I had to get rid of it when I was shooting scenes," Melanie confessed to Woman magazine in 2015. "I carried on for two years because I didn't want to take time out." At the time, the British star admitted that she found it difficult to break free from the habit and it took her three months to fully recover. "I was on the maximum dose of Co-codamol painkillers and after two years it was hard getting off them," she shared. "It took me three months to get completely weaned off them." After joining the cobbles in April 2014, viewers were touched by her sweet budding romance with widower Roy (David Neilson) following their unexpected meeting at the allotment.The former Bread actress - who is now free from her reliance on pain relief medication - share that her role on the beloved TV show has been a "dream come true". "I couldn't believe it," she exclaimed at the time. "I was just so thrilled, beyond thrilled but terrified because it's iconic, when you walk in there.

I've never been so nervous in my life." Melanie described the unforgettable day she landed the Coronation Street came knocking, fulfilling her lifelong dream of joining the iconic show: "When I got a call from my agent asking if I would like to be interviewed for Coronation Street I've never been as.