Casualty actress Amanda Mealing has labelled last year her worst ever amid her bitter divorce from her husband of 30 years and a cocaine-fuelled car crash
Casualty star, Amanda Mealing, has said she’s happier than ever two years on from a cocaine-fuelled car accident that took place mid-divorce. Amanda Mealing, 59, appeared in court after she crashed her Mini Cooper into another vehicle in January 2024.
The star, who played Connie Beauchamp on the soap, admitted the incident that happened at 10am came after she had embarked in a late night drink and drug binge. In court, her lawyer said that Mealing had been under stress because she was going through a divorce from her husband of three decades.
Mealing, who has also starred in Four Weddings And A Funeral and Coronation Street, had been married to Richard Sainsbury since 1998. The actress and screenwriter are parents to two adult sons.
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The couple called time on their relationship last year and Mealing labelled the year living with her ex as her “worst year ever”. She now says he has moved out of the family home and despite “not having a pot to p*** in” she is the “happiest I’ve been”.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, the actress said: “Last year was excruciatingly painful. There were injustices and I was absolutely broken.”
Following the incident, Mealing was banned from driving until January 2027. She was also fined £485, and ordered to pay £400 costs and a surcharge of £194. At the time, Mealing offered to pay at a rate of £100 a month, which was accepted by the court.
The ordeal left a male nurse unconscious. In a statement, the victim, who was driving a Skoda, said: “I was very lucky I was in such a substantial car. I very nearly took my motorbike out that day.”
Her solicitor said during her hearing that she had turned to drugs following her bitter divorce, as well as the deaths of her father, her best friend and her dog. Solicitor Edward Lloyd said: “In terms of the offence, my client pleaded guilty to drug-driving at the very first opportunity.
“It’s something she’s deeply ashamed of. She’s not somebody who takes drugs at all. Her brother died of a drugs overdose when he was 18, and she says herself that she should have known better.”
Now, as she addresses the case, she says she “puts my hands up” and admits to doing wrong. She is now looking forward to the future as a single woman. “At first it was a bit scary,” she told the publication. “But I love it now. I have my dogs and a few close friends who have helped so much.”
As well as her role on Casualty, Mealing previously played a part in Grange Hill, while she also starred in Still in 2014 and had roles in The Darling Buds of May and Death In Paradise. However, her first professional performance came when she was six in a Julie Andrews special on BBC television.
In 2002, she had a two-year career break after being diagnosed with breast cancer. She made a full recovery and returned to work
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