Ex-EastEnders star Cheryl Fergison turned to food bank after being 'conned out of humongous amount'

Former 'EastEnders' star Cheryl Fergison was forced to claim benefits and turn to a food bank after she was conned "out of a humongous amount of money".

The 60-year-old actress - who played Heather Trott in the BBC soap from 2007 to 2012 - has opened up about her financial struggles, and admitted it all stemmed from being conned, after which her situation then "started to spiral".

Speaking on 'This Morning', she said: "There is a circumstance that started this, which I can't talk about at this moment in time, but it started to spiral.

"The only way I can say it is I was conned out of a humongous amount of money.

"That led to the cancer thing and everything spiralled. I was robbing Peter to pay Paul."

Cheryl also told how she received financial help from her former 'EastEnders' colleagues, including the late Dame Barbara Windsor and June Brown, who played Peggy Mitchell and Dot Cotton respectively.

She added: "The lovely late, great Barbara Windsor and [her husband] Scott were getting their cheque books out and writing them to me to pay my bills.

"Steve McFadden [Phil Mitchell] was giving me places to recuperate, Linda Henry [Shirley Carter] was helping out, and June Brown.

"They were very, very, very kind and they helped me and my family out a lot.

"But it just carries on and you can't get out of it."

The 'Big School' star was forced to sell her house, and she now lives in rented accommodation in northern England.

She said: "I ended up having to sell my house. Now I am living up north and renting.

"In Britain, we see renting as quite a bad thing, but in Europe everybody rents.

"It's your mindset."

Earlier this month, Cheryl told how she was so broke this year she was taken to a food bank by a Citizens Advice staff member.

She told the Sunday Mirror newspaper: "I sat there and cried and cried. It was shameful. How could I have been on EastEnders? How could I have been earning that much money and now I am here?"