The star wrote about how she matched her work ethic with some hard partying.
She revealed: ‘In those days a typical night out for me would start off with a bottle of champagne at home while I was getting ready, then some spirits. I could put away 30 or 40 gin and tonics no trouble, half a bottle of brandy, a bottle of champagne, ten bottles of Beck’s…’
The star also admitted to dabbling in drugs. It wasn’t until she as hospitalised with problems related to her diabetes that she admitted she had a problem.
She recalls: ‘In 1995, rehearsing for panto, I got a wake-up call. I was playing Baroness Hardup in Cinderella at the Regent Theatre in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, staying at the Holiday Inn.’
‘I started to have a panic attack. It came out of nowhere and I couldn’t get my breath. My heart was racing, I felt dreadful, ready to collapse.’
She continued: ‘I rang reception and asked them to call a doctor. Someone came up to check on me, found me on the floor and dialled 999. The paramedics arrived, gave me oxygen and got me on a stretcher.’
The doctor then made it clear to the actress that she had a serious drinking problem. 51-year-old Tina found it hard to come to terms with her alcoholism.
She said: ‘My idea of an alcoholic was an unkempt bloke on a park bench with a can of Special Brew. That wasn’t me. When I said as much, he laughed, told me I was being ridiculous.’
Tina has now been sober for over 10 years and lives a much healthier lifestyle.
She wrote: ‘Once I stopped, that was it. I went to AA meetings on and off and found them helpful, but in all honesty I never felt tempted to touch another drop. As with everything in my life, it had to be a case of all or nothing, and my days of drinking were well and truly over.’
Tina became a mum again at the end of 2013, welcoming into the world a daughter named Flame.
Flame was conceived by IVF and is her second child- she’s also mum to grown up daughter Dannielle.