Sheridan Smith: 'My wild partying days are over now I've found peace as a mum'

Sheridan Smith has said that she is finally “at peace” after becoming a mum, admitting it is a novelty for her to feel happy.

The Cilla actor gave birth to her first child Billy in May and has said the experience completely changed her after years of partying.

She told The Mail On Sunday’s You magazine that she had always felt insecure, but added: “Now I feel happy. That is a novelty.”

Read more: Sheridan Smith says baby brought back Christmas magic after her father’s death

Mrs Biggs actor Smith said her life had become a lot less complicated since welcoming Billy with her partner Jamie Horn.

She said: “I’ve been looking for this all my life. I’ve looked in the wrong places – in nightclubs, going out drinking, pushing myself with work.

“Now in this little baby I’ve found that I’m at peace with everything.”

Smith said having a baby during lockdown had made things a little easier as it had taken any pressure off how she was being viewed as a new mum.

Although the birth was stressful as Smith had to have an emergency C-section three weeks early, she said spending their early months as a family just the three of them had been “magical”.

Smith gave up drinking a year and a half ago after her father’s death and a difficult run in the West End show Funny Girl left her struggling to cope.

After she met Horn they moved to live a quiet life together in the countryside.

Talking about being in the spotlight, she admitted: “I felt stressed and anxious all the time. I was supposed to be a celebrity but I couldn’t do it right.”

She also said that hearing David Walliams and Ricky Tomlinson speak out in support of her while others were making jokes at her expense had given her strength, saying: “You have no idea how much that support means.”

Watch: Sheridan Smith working on a tell-all autobiography