Amanda Mealing collapsed on Holby City set due to PTSD

Amanda Mealing collapsed on the set of \'Holby City\' after her breast cancer battle.

The 52-year-old actress - who appeared in the medical drama series as Connie Beauchamp until 2010 and has played the same role in sister show \'Casualty\' since 2014 - was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) five years after her 2002 battle with the illness, and it resulted in a scary moment during filming.

She told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "I literally crumbled down on my haunches at the steps, going up to reception. And there were only five steps and I couldn\'t make it up."

Amanda - who underwent a mastectomy, chemo and radiotherapy during her cancer struggle - admitted she rushed herself back to work without dealing with "the psychological aspect" of both the diagnosis and battle.

She added: "At the time I couldn\'t because I\'d just had, what I call, my hand-to-hand combat of fighting the cancer, so I didn\'t have time to look at my emotional and psychological state.

"My husband said, \'This is going to come back and bite us on the arse years down the line\'. And it did."

The TV star turned to therapy to cope with PTSD, and she described it as "essential" when it comes to coping with a traumatic event.

She explained: "It does work. If you have been through trauma, it is essential. I was diagnosed [with cancer] 24 hours after my second son was born. My whole world was turned upside down."

Amanda first played Connie in \'Holby City\' back in 2004, and despite leaving six years later she made a number of special appearances since joining \'Casualty\' in 2014.