A fan-favourite EastEnders made an unexpected return to TV, leaving viewers thrilled. Cheryl Fergison, who played the iconic Heather Trott on the BBC soap, has been open about her lack of work in recent years.
The actress revealed her financial strugglesafter leaving the soap in 2012, and shared how shegot help from a foodbank as well as EastEnders legend Dame Barbara Windsor. Followingthe challenging time, Cheryl has made a comeback to the small screen.
She shocked viewers when she rocked up in BBC Two's comedy series Mandy. The actress made a guest appearance in the show, which is written by Diane Morgan.
It follows the goings on of permanently out-of-work Mandy Carter and her best friend Lola. Mandy was forced to attend a restart scheme at her local job centre, where she encountered an unimpressed Stella, played by Cheryl.
Stella only said one worked to Mandy, as she called her "dirty". Cheryl's fans were thrilled by her return to screens as one said: "Obsessed with Cheryl ‘two words’ Fergison. She did a cracking job."
Another added: "Congrats Cheryl!" Someone else commented: "Can we talk about the amount of cameos in Mandy cuz what do u mean Cheryl Fergison and Martin Lewis casually popped up within the first ep of series 4?"
A fourth declared: "Ar Cheryl is in the new season of Mandy." While on EastEnders, Cheryl racked up a huge fan following until her character was sensationally killed off.
Ben Mitchell smacked her over the head with a picture frame, causing her to hit her head on the way to the floor. Life after the soap hasn’t been quite so straightforward, with Cheryl opening up on her struggles earlier this year.
She revealed she had turned to a food bank for help and was relying on benefits. In order to try and make ends meet, Cheryl settled for far smaller jobs including opening a Chinese takeaway in Cleveleys earlier this year.
The actress told Casino.org: “My health is good, but my finances will take a long time to recover. Until I have steady work, I’m not rich or comfortable—I’m just surviving.
"I’ve been saying yes to everything for no money, but I need to start valuing my work and asking for fair pay. Even my agent insists on it.”
She added: “Still, I’ll never give in. I want to keep singing. If people criticise me for singing in small restaurants, so be it. At the end of the day, I’m an entertainer. Community has always been important to me, and I’ll perform no matter the crowd.”
Once at the top of her game as a primetime BBC star, Cheryl fell into dire straits after she was conned out of a ‘humungous’ amount of money. She said on This Morning: “There is a circumstance that started this, which I can't talk about at this moment in time, but it started to spiral.
"The only way I can say it is I was conned out of a humongous amount of money. That led to the cancer thing and everything spiralled. I was robbing Peter to pay Paul. I ended up having to sell my house. Now I am living up north and renting."
READ MORE: 40p-a-day GP-backed supplement gives 'stressed' shoppers a 'full night's sleep'
Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Threads.
