Kim Cattrall: Insomnia behind play departure

Cattrall told the Radio Times that 'having no sleep... becomes a tsunami'

Sex and the City star Kim Cattrall has spoken about the chronic insomnia that forced her to withdraw from a play at London's Royal Court last year.

The 59-year-old was due to play the title role in Linda but pulled out shortly before it opened.

"I didn't want to let down the audience, the theatre, playwright or the actors," she told the Radio Times.

She said being unable to sleep felt like "a gorilla sitting on [her] chest" and had left her "in a void".

The actress said "the hardest part" of giving up her part in Penelope Skinner's play was "letting go".

"I realised the work that I really needed to do was more important than the play," she went on. "It was work on my sanity."

Noma Dumezweni took over Cattrall's role in the Royal Court production

Cattrall told the Radio Times she ignored the criticism she received after her withdrawal from Linda, saying she didn't "listen to that noise".

"I have my own voice on social media, where I can say: if you're interested in what really happened, the whole story is more complex than being a disease of the week, than someone saying, 'I have this battle'," she continued.

The actress's role in Linda was taken by actress Noma Dumezweni, who worked from a script on the play's opening night last December.

The Olivier award winner was subsequently cast as the adult Hermione in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which begins previewing later.