A longstanding British soap star has opened up about her experiences with depression and bipolar disorder.

Appearing on chat show This Morning, popular Coronation Street actress Beverley Callard told viewers how her diagnosis with depression several years ago had left her spiralling into “a black hole”.

The 59-year-old told presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield that her depression had left her feeling suicidal.

“I was completely suicidal. I couldn’t leave the house. I didn’t leave the bedroom. I wouldn’t take phone calls,” she said.

The actress added that on a recent visit to her psychiatrist, she was advised that she may also be suffering from bipolar disorder.

“The way he [my psychiatrist] explained it to me is that I don’t get these amazing highs or hallucinations but I get the tremendous lows – so I don’t get the good bits; I get the bad bits.

She said that after seeking specialist support she had recently been feeling “much more even and more relaxed.”

“The important point I must stress is you do get better. As long as you get the right help, be it medication or counselling,” she said.

“You do not think you’re going to get better, but the point I need to stress is you do get better.”