Maxwell: 'I used acting to avoid problems'

Lisa Maxwell has said that she used her acting career to try to avoid facing up to the problems she was having in her personal life.

The actress, who plays Sam Nixon in The Bill, recently revealed that she suffered two miscarriages last year.

She told The Mirror that the impact was made more devastating by her response.

Maxwell said: "It was to do with the way I handled them. I was basically going to ignore the fact that they happened and just carry on, and that made me realise my work/life balance had tipped in favour of work.

"I was finding it easier to be Sam Nixon than I did to be Lisa. It was easier to act than to face the problems in my own life."

She added that show bosses were "amazing" and gave her a month off work when they found out about her situation.

Maxwell will leave The Bill later this month, with her final scenes to air on June 18.