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Jill Halfpenny admits her ‘shame and desperation’ as she details battle with alcoholism

Jill Halfpenny has admitted her ‘shame and desperation’ as she details her battle with alcoholism in a new book.

The former EastEnders actress and Strictly Come Dancing winner has emotionally spoken out in her new autobiography – A Life Reimagined: My Journey of Hope in the Midst of Loss. “For a long time, alcohol had helped me escape, to stop thinking,” confessed Jill, who has dealt with losing both her father, aged only four, and later her partner, Matt Janes, both to sudden heart attacks while they were out playing sport. “I felt a mix of shame and desperation as I approached the door but I took a seat at the back and attempted to take it all in,” Jill recalled, “I experienced something I never have before – people, strangers, sharing how they feel.

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