Behind the glamour of playing one of soap's most iconic super-bitches was a young woman fighting silently for her life. At 15, Steph weighed just 4 stone, teetering on the edge of death from anorexia. Determined to survive, she clung to the one thing she believed would bring her happiness: becoming an actress.
Steph made her dream come true hitting the nation's screens-but the battle didn't end. As her star rose, her health and private life unravelled behind the scenes. Over 25 years Steph secretly fought bulimia, endured multiple mental breaks, juggled motherhood, all while her personal life was plastered across the tabloids for entertainment.
Then came the double gut-punch: a shock diagnosis of early menopause having only just hit her 40s, and then learning the news she was to be axed from her beloved role without warning or ceremony.
Told with all the wit, humour and razor-sharp timing fans love her character for, Steph Waring delivers a beautiful, funny, emotionally raw and utterly-sometimes horrifically-honest account of a life lived under the spotlight, navigating illness, heartbreak and reinvention.
Breaking The Script
is a fascinating and essential read for television fans, soap lovers, survivors and anyone who's ever had to rebuild from the rubble of their own story, or simply to find out if Steph's tireless, hilarious (and slightly worrying) pursuit to become Kylie Minogue's best friend comes to pass.
Spoiler alert: The answer is a tabloid headline in itself.