Roxanne Pallett has revealed that she was suffering from PTSD when she accused Ryan Thomas of punching her inside the Celebrity Big Brother house.
Last year the 36-year-old, who was previously in an abusive relationship, came under fire when she falsely accused the Corrie actor of intentional violence.
According to The Sun, Roxanne opened up about the incident for the first time in months while speaking on a panel at a mental health event.
She said: “Last year I unravelled, I broke down. I lashed out. And only now since being diagnosed with PTSD and Panic Disorder do I see that it was a result of years of untreated and ignored mental health issues that were lingering and building up and waiting to bubble over like an unwatched pot on a stove.”
“I fell apart over a matter of weeks and I did so in front of millions on not just one occasion but three TV shows,” she continued.
“All of which were edited and shown as entertainment. I was the punchline to the very unfortunate joke. I was then ridiculed, judged and villainised, but only some actually recognised the reason behind my reactions – PTSD.
“It was pouring out of me. I’ve since been inundated with letters from people including soldiers, nurses and counsellors that watched and see that my mental health was crumbling but unfortunately many mistake this symptoms for character traits and they condemn you,” Roxanne explained.
“Tears, mood swings, erratic behaviour, accusations, doubts, despair. Such awful traits, especially for those around me at the time, those who were inflicted and became collateral damage as a result of just being next to me when I self-destructed.”
The former Emmerdale star also slammed the people in her life that didn’t defend her.
She said: Last year the most difficult part wasn’t the avalanche of hate or the opportunists who jumped on the bandwagon, it wasn’t even the ignorant names I was called, weird, toxic, dangerous, dramatic, evil, mental, crazy, attention seeker. It was the silence of those I considered friends that hurt the most.”
