Denise Van Outen has revealed that she had a 'mummy meltdown' shortly after giving birth.
Speaking on This Morning, the TV presenter - who has just written a book on motherhood - admitted that she found it hard to cope after giving birth to her daughter Betsy.
"Anyone will tell you its the hardest job in the world being a mother," she said "And it came as a massive shock to me which is one of the reasons why I wanted to do the book.
"You get advice from different people about having a smooth and healthy pregnancy but then as soon as your child arrives, there's no manual there's nothing, and I felt sometimes a little bit isolated and a little bit alone."
Things came to a head for Denise on her 37th birthday when she had - what she describes as - 'a mummy meltdown'.
"I had a big mummy meltdown and I couldn't really explain it at the time but looking back I was obviously still very hormonal... but it was just silly things and now it seems stupid because it was things like I couldn't make the bed, Betsy wouldn't stop crying, I couldn't answer the phone to anybody.
"I was so stressed and my friends had said lets go out together but I just felt like I couldn't go because I felt like everything was out of control. So it's just emotion... sometimes women do go through that and they feel guilty for admitting it and actually saying that they found it hard."
The actress - who returned to work soon after having Betsy, now two years old - also revealed that she wouldn't mind a role pulling pints in the Queen Vic.
"I was at the Soap Awards and I was doing the red carpet and a journalist said to me 'if there was any soap you could be in, which one would it be?' and I said well the obvious choice would be EastEnders because it's the one that I watch.
"I'd never rule it out - I'd love to do it! Pull a few pints! See you never know, if they'd have me..."
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