Emmerdale actress Lisa Riley, 41, reflected on the time she first left the soap, in which she suffered with “chronic anxiety and panic attacks.” She said: “It was a hard time for me, terrible. I couldn’t deal with fame, I couldn’t cope with it. I had the most chronic anxiety and panic attacks, I just couldn’t come up for air. I had to leave – I would’ve gone crazy.”
Lisa joined the award-winning soap aged just 17 and worked on the show five days a week.
She also told the Mirror she made appearances at nightclubs dressed as her character on weekends.
Lisa went on to say taking a break from the soap and working on other projects helped her overcome her struggles.
She added to The Mirror: “It has taken 17 years to find Lisa, love Lisa and enjoy being me.
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“Now I have learned to love myself, I can go back and play Mandy and know she isn’t going to take over again.”
In upcoming scenes, Lisa returns to the soap to celebrate a big wedding.
Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock) and his new wife Jessie (Sandra Marvin) will have to marry legally after their ceremony previously didn’t go to plan.
The actress’ return may surprise her ex-husband Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt), who also discovers she has a 16-year-old son.
Lisa recently spilled what fans can expect from her return.
She said: “She’s still in Southhampton and something has happened to her.
“She has a child called Vinnie.
“They are very similar which is really nice and gives a lot of scope.
“She’s been very happy and has a bit of money now, so she’s not as downtrodden as she was.
“She’s also a little bit more glamorous than the mismatch she was before.”
Teasing if Paddy could be involved in her storyline, she added: “I don’t want to give that away, I think that would ruin it for everybody.
“That’s going to be a nice surprise. Even my dad’s asking me: ‘What’s happening with you and Paddy?’”
Emmerdale continues tonight on ITV at 7pm.