Cheryl Fergison: EastEnders star used food bank after leaving show

Last month, a new report by anti-poverty charity The Trussell Trust said a record 9.3 million people – including one in five children – are facing hunger and hardship in the UK.

And more than half of low-paid Londoners have had to resort to using a food bank in the last year, according to the Living Wage Foundation.

Fergison, who lives in Cleveleys, was full of praise for the workers at the food bank, saying: “That day is one I’ll never forget – and I’ll never forget the people. I felt I’d had this amazing, biggest, warmest hug. That’s what it felt like.

“They were like angels. It was like a group of angels had come along and said, ‘We can cope with this for you Cheryl, we can do this for you’.”

The actress said she left there with four bags of groceries, and she has not had to return since then.

She is since making ends meet, including by singing in Chinese restaurants and performing in pantomimes for work.

She added that she hoped that speaking up about her financial struggles would help others.

“I hope other people can relate to it. I really want to stress that food banks are a service,” she said.

“They’re there for you to use so please do not feel embarrassed or that it’s a weakness. Whatever the reason, you deserve help. We have a right to be able to live like a human being and do it in a dignified way.”

BBC News has contacted Fergison’s representatives and Citizens Advice for a comment.