Sacked Hollyoaks star Stephanie Davis has admitted she turned to alcohol to cope with a gruelling workload and the death of her grandmother.

The Merseyside-based actress, who played fiery character Sinead O’Connor, was sacked from the soap with “immediate effect” after storming off set last month.

Stephanie Davis
(Yui Mok/PA)

She told the Daily Mirror that she had been on a downward spiral after her grandmother Muriel died a few months ago.

And she explained that working six days a week had left her feeling “suffocated”.

The 22-year-old said: “I will hold my hands up and admit I’ve been drinking too much. I’ve been struggling for a while and booze was an escape for me.”

Stephanie Davis
(Mark Allan/AP)

Although she would “typically” drink a mix of prosecco, vodka and tequila, Davis denied having a serious booze problem or ever being drunk on set.

Nominated for a best actress gong at the 2014 Soap Awards, her character’s recent storylines include her giving birth to a baby fathered by her gay best friend and being held hostage in a siege.