Ex-EastEnders’ stars’ heartbreaking food bank confession after being conned out of ‘huge’ amount of cash

Former 'EastEnders' star Cheryl Fergison has disclosed her financial struggles after falling victim to a significant scam. The 60 year old actress, who was much-loved as Heather Trott on the BBC soap between 2007 to 2012, shared her experiences of claiming benefits and using a food bank candidly when she appeared on 'This Morning'.

She explained how one significant fraudulent incident led to her financial situation: "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."

Going further into detail, Cheryl said: "That led to the cancer thing and everything spiralled. I was robbing Peter to pay Paul."

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Cheryl warmly acknowledged the support she received from her 'EastEnders' family, noting that figures such as the late Dame Barbara Windsor and June Brown stepped up financially in her hour of need. With genuine gratitude, she remembered: "The lovely late, great Barbara Windsor and [her husband] Scott were getting their cheque books out and writing them to me to pay my bills. Steve McFadden [Phil Mitchell] was giving me places to recuperate, Linda Henry [Shirley Carter] was helping out, and June Brown."

Recognising the magnitude of their kindness, she remarked: "They were very, very, very kind and they helped me and my family out a lot. But it just carries on and you can't get out of it."

The actress has since had to make stark lifestyle adjustments, having sold her house, she now lives in rented accommodation in the North of England. She revealed: "I ended up having to sell my house. Now I am living up north and renting. In Britain, we see renting as quite a bad thing, but in Europe everybody rents. It's your mindset."

Earlier this month, Cheryl shared her hardships with the Sunday Mirror: "I sat there and cried and cried. It was shameful. How could I have been on EastEnders? How could I have been earning that much money and now I am here?"

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