Sheridan Smith says baby son has brought back Christmas magic after father’s death

Sheridan Smith is able to find the excitement in Christmas again thanks to her baby son Billy.

The actor has shared that she struggled to see joy in the season after the death of her dad Colin in late 2016 but things have changed as she gears up to celebrate her son’s first Christmas.

"I think for the last couple of years, since my dad passed away, I didn't enjoy Christmas because it happened around that time.

Read more: Strictly judge Motsi Mabuse quits Twitter

"But now, to be able to have it for my little boy, it's all so exciting again. I can't wait. I'm going to dress up as Fairy Christmas," she told OK! magazine.

The 39-year-old's father passed away at the age of 80 following a battle with cancer. His diagnosis impacted her mental health, with Smith later stating she had a "total breakdown" at the time.

Watch: Sheridan Smith recalls her brother’s death

The actor had a missed a run of Funny Girl performances in the West End in 2016 with reports alleging she had been drunk upon her return after one show had to be abandoned due to "technical difficulties", something which Smith has denied.

Graham Norton made a joke about the incident at the Bafta awards that year, jesting: “We’re all excited for a couple of drinks tonight. Or, as it’s known in theatrical circles, a few glasses of technical difficulties.”

Read more: Sheridan Smith opens up about mental breakdown

The mother-of-one has said she was "humiliated" by the gag and that it had "tipped [her] over the edge".

Smith's personal life has taken a different direction after moving to the countryside with fiancé Jamie Horn, with the couple welcoming their first child in May.

In September, she fronted a documentary about motherhood and how her pregnancy journey had affected her mental health.

Watch: Sheridan Smith set to release autobiography