Richard Mylan: Response to heroin secret overwhelms TV star

Richard Mylan left his home city of Swansea aged 12 to begin his acting journey

TV star Richard Mylan has said the response to his decision to reveal his 20-year addiction to heroin has been "incredible".

The Welsh actor, who has been in recovery for 10 years, first spoke out at the weekend in what he recognised could be a career-wrecking interview.

The 48-year-old, who works with south Wales-based charity Adferiad, now wants to help fellow addicts recover.

"The response has been genuinely overwhelming," he said.

"Just this kind of outpouring of love and compassion and support.

Speaking on BBC Wales Today on Monday, he said: "It really made me think, 'You know what - we really can challenge the stigma,' which was part of the reason why I came forward in the first place.

• Police chief calls for fresh drugs approach

• Anti-drug work 'not making difference needed' in Wales

• Drug antidote spray already saving lives in Wales

"But also I wanted to tell the story to unburden myself because it is something I have kept secret for a huge part of my life and to carry that around every day, it does have an effect on your general mental health.

"It can really grind you down so, for it to be finally out there, was freeing and the response has been incredible."

Richard Mylan starred alongside Sheridan Smith in BBC Three series Grownups

The father-of-two, from Swansea, did not know how he had sustained an acting career alongside a heroin habit.

He played deputy headteacher Simon Lowsley in BBC drama Waterloo Road, Oliver Morris in Coupling, and appeared with Sheridan Smith in BBC Three show Grownups.

'Many professional functioning addicts'

He said: "What people know of actors, and people with public-facing jobs like mine, heroin addiction and me don't really fit together, and that is another reason why I wanted to tell my story.

"People assume heroin addiction is one thing, and have generalised views on it, but there are many professional functioning addicts out there who are very scared to come forward because of the stigma attached to it."

Mylan said that meant people were not getting help.

"There is so much help out there and people like Adferiad, they want what is best for people with addiction," he said.

He said addicts needed to be treated with empathy and respect.

Mylan admitted he never dreamed of speaking about his problems while in recovery.

"I come from an industry where the illusion of perfection is very important, so I know I am breaking rank, but it is important that I have done that."

Richard Mylan starred in the long-running BBC TV series Doctors

Martin Blakebrough, head of drugs charity Kaleidoscope, said: "Richard really highlights stigma and mental health issues.

'Underlying mental health issues'

"The vast majority of people who take drugs don't do it as a choice lifestyle option.

"They do it because they have really underlying mental health issues like anxiety, bipolar and schizophrenia."

Mr Blakebrough said many of those being put in prison were "extremely vulnerable".

Richard Mylan has appeared in dozens of TV shows since his debut in the late 1990s

"In Wales we are doing better than the rest of the United Kingdom in terms of drug deaths because we have a health-based approach.

"I have to say that when I have been speaking to all the political parties in the Senedd, they have all signed up for a health approach and I think that's a really positive thing.

"By assisting someone we reduce the harm to communities and we reduce the harm to a vulnerable person."

• WILD MOUNTAINS OF SNOWDONIA: Five farming families open their gates and share their lives

• BROTHERS IN DANCE: The remarkable duo at the forefront of UK dance