Sheridan Smith Reclaims Narrative After Baftas Ordeal

For many, the glitz and glamour of an awards show like the BAFTAs conjures images of celebration, camaraderie, and recognition. But for Sheridan Smith, the night of the 2016 BAFTAs marked the beginning of one of the darkest chapters in her life—a period that would test not only her resilience as an actress but her very survival.

At 34, Sheridan Smith was at the peak of her career. She had earned critical acclaim for her stage and screen performances, most notably as Fanny Brice in the West End revival of Funny Girl. Yet, as Filmogaz.com and Everything Gossip both report, her professional triumphs masked a private world in turmoil. Her father, Colin Smith, had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. The emotional burden, coupled with the unrelenting demands of her work, led Smith to miss several performances—a fact producers attributed to “stress and exhaustion.” In a statement, the Funny Girl team expressed their support, saying, “The entire team at Funny Girl is thinking of Sheridan, and know she is getting the rest and support she needs during this very difficult and stressful time.”

But the public didn’t know the full story. And on that fateful evening in 2016, as Smith sat in the audience at the BAFTAs, her private struggles were thrust into the spotlight in the most painful way possible. Host Graham Norton, known for his quick wit, delivered a quip that would haunt Smith for years. “We’re all excited for a couple of drinks tonight. Or, as it’s known in theatrical circles, a few glasses of technical difficulties,” Norton joked, a line widely interpreted as a dig at Smith’s absence from Funny Girl and a suggestion of drinking problems.

The impact was immediate and profound. According to The Times and corroborated by Smith herself in interviews and her ITV documentary Sheridan Smith: Becoming Mum, she was left mortified and deeply ashamed. She later recounted, “I was so humiliated, you know, it’s a room full of your peers. And people you want to work with or have worked with. That night for me was like the final straw, before my brain totally went off the deep end.”

What the audience—and even many close to her—didn’t realize was that Smith had been battling dependence on anti-anxiety medication and alcohol. The BAFTAs joke, she said, sent her into a downward spiral. “You’re embarrassed. I felt ashamed, and I still sometimes feel it, like, ‘Oh, I wish that part of my life hadn’t happened.’ But it did. It’s like my tattoos. Oh, God, I wish I didn’t have them, but I’ve got them now,” she told The Times. She added, “That was no one’s fault. That was just on me. I was in a bad state at the time. But I think you’re right, it maybe wouldn’t happen now. It is a bit kinder now.”

In the hours following the ceremony, Smith retreated to a hotel room alone. In what she later described as a desperate attempt to regain control, she abruptly stopped taking her medication without medical supervision. She explained, “In my crazy mind I thought, ‘I don’t wanna be in rehab—I’ll do it myself’ so I went there and I just stopped my tablets. What I didn’t realise is, that if you stop the tablets abruptly, you seizure. And, to cut a long story short, I got seizures five times and got rushed into A&E.”

The consequences were nearly fatal. Smith suffered five seizures, stopped breathing, and collapsed. She was rushed to the hospital—a life-threatening emergency that, as she has since revealed, she survived only because a friend happened to check on her. “Weirdly, a friend of mine rang me and she came to the hotel. It’s a miracle that she did. It was like someone was looking out for me. She’s the one who got me breathing again,” Smith recalled in her documentary.

Four years later, in 2020, Smith decided to break her silence in Sheridan Smith: Becoming Mum, speaking with raw honesty about her ordeal. She wanted to shed light on the realities of mental health struggles, especially for those in the public eye. “What people didn’t realise was that I’d become addicted to anti-anxiety tablets,” she said, emphasizing the hidden nature of her crisis. “That night, I took myself off to a hotel on my own.”

By January 24, 2026, Smith had chosen to revisit the incident publicly once more, not to reopen old wounds, but to reclaim her narrative and encourage compassion for others facing similar battles. “It’s reclaiming it because after what happened … I didn’t ever want it to get out so publicly,” she told The Times. “But it did. And now, I want to take control of it.” She noted that the entertainment industry’s attitude toward mental health has changed for the better, adding, “It is a bit kinder now.”

Throughout her recovery, Smith has been adamant that the blame for what happened does not rest with anyone else—not even Graham Norton. “That was no one’s fault. That was just on me. I was in a bad state at the time,” she said, highlighting the importance of personal responsibility but also the need for empathy and understanding.

Her journey has not been easy. The aftermath of that night involved not only physical recovery from her seizures but also the slow process of rebuilding her confidence and career. Smith has since returned to the stage and screen with renewed vigor, starring in acclaimed productions such as Cilla, The Teacher, and I Fought the Law. She has also become a mother, a role she has embraced with the same openness and candor she brings to her public life.

Smith’s willingness to share her story has resonated with many, shining a light on the pressures faced by public figures and the sometimes invisible toll of mental health struggles. Her experience serves as a powerful reminder that behind every headline and every red carpet moment, there can be a far more complicated reality.

As Smith herself put it, “You’re embarrassed. I felt ashamed, and I still sometimes feel it.” But by speaking out, she has helped to foster a more compassionate conversation—one that recognizes both the challenges and the strength required to overcome them. Her story is not just one of survival, but of reclaiming agency in the face of adversity.

In an industry that often prizes image over honesty, Sheridan Smith’s journey stands out as a testament to vulnerability, resilience, and the enduring power of telling one’s own truth.