Disgraced Tina Malone insists panto cocaine was 'planted' in her bag

Last month, Shameless actress Tina Malone was fired from her role as wicked fairy in a pantomime production in Cumbria after cocaine was found in her purse and she was cautioned by police for possession.

However, Tina has now hit back at the allegations – insisting that the Class A drug was “planted” in her bag in a set-up.

Speaking to The Mirror, Tina said that she only accepted the caution because of her four-year-old daughter, Flame, revealing that she was arrested in front of the toddler.

She said: “I swear on my daughter’s life I’d never take drugs in front of children or while performing.

“She’d only just watched me on stage. My husband Paul took her to the hotel to wait for me. To be honest, I’d have admitted to being Jack the Ripper right there and then to get back to her.”

Tina, 54, has always been honest about battling drug addiction in the past and she went on to claim that she would admit if she had taken cocaine during her panto stint, confessing that she was stunned when authorities found “less than a line” of cocaine wrapped in paper in her purse.

She went on to share her suspicions after photographers asked her to pose for them hours before her arrest on 22 December, with the story breaking online before she had even been released from the police station.

The former Brookside star also slammed claims that she behaved like a diva backstage, with a source previously saying that Tina would shout and swear at the rest of the cast and crew as she even left the child actors to wet themselves as she hogged the venue’s only bathroom.

Tina said: “Call me a gobby Scouse dog, but don’t say I would be horrible to kids. I’d never take drugs anywhere near a child. I would never tell a child to f*** off.

“That’s what’s really killing me more than the drugs stuff.”

The pantomime’s producer, Joe Purdy, supported Tina’s claims, saying that he also believes that she had been “set up”, adding that she was “always professional” and “great with the kids”

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