Cheryl Fergison has opened up about the depths of her financial struggles, admitting she is only ‘just surviving’ after being forced to claim benefits and turn to a food bank for help.
The EastEnders legend, 60, portrayed Heather Trott for five years before leaving the BBC soap in 2012 when her character was killed off.
Cheryl, who was recently forced to flog tickets to see her perform at a Chinese takeaway’s opening, admitted she is currently ‘not comfortable’ financially but is ‘working my way back up’.
Speaking to The Sun about how she should not be ‘judged for trying to get back on their feet’, the actress said: ‘My finances will take a long time to recover.
‘ Until I have steady work, I’m not rich or comfortable—I’m just surviving. I’ve been saying yes to everything for no money, but I need to start valuing my work and asking for fair pay. Even my agent insists on it.’
She continued: ‘Still, I’ll never give in. I want to keep singing. If people criticise me for singing in small restaurants, so be it.’
Cheryl Fergison has revealed she is ‘taking jobs for no money’ amid her financial struggle and is only ‘just surviving’ after being forced to claim benefits and turn to a food bank for help
Cheryl has now opened up about her current financial situation as she revealed she was forced to flog tickets to fans to see her perform at a Chinese takeaway’s opening earlier this month
The EastEnders legend, 60, portrayed Heather Trott for five years before leaving the BBC soap in 2012 when her character was killed off
She concluded: ‘At the end of the day, I’m an entertainer. Community has always been important to me, and I’ll perform no matter the crowd. If only two people show up, I don’t care – I’m still being paid, and I’ll still give it my all.’
Amid her financial woes, Cheryl announced a ‘return to the BBC’, 13 years after her character Heather Trott was murdered by Ben Mitchell in 2012.
Since leaving the BBC soap, Cheryl has embarked on a number of projects, with the latest being playing live at a Chinese takeaway in front of just 30 people as she celebrated the venue’s opening weekend.
However, Cheryl has now teased a comeback to the channel, in addition to a ‘secret project’, as she updated her fans with her busy work schedule.
Appearing in a TikTok video on Monday, Cheryl explained: ‘I’ve been packing, getting ready for London next week. Going to be doing a little secret project.
‘Then, I will be filming for the BBC. And then I will be going to The Groove Chorus, working with the beautiful Groove Chorus at The Clapham Ground on the 21st and 22nd.’
She added that she would be doing a 30 minute set at the venue, before urging her followers to get their tickets.
After starring on EastEnders for five years, Cheryl has been on a career rollercoaster since leaving the soap in 2012.
After starring on EastEnders for five years as Heather Trott, Cheryl has been on a career rollercoaster since leaving the soap in 2012
Read MoreEXCLUSIVE I blew my EastEnders’ earnings on shopping and holidays… now I sing at Chinese takeaways 
Cheryl has since admitted she never put any savings away when she was earning big money and was even forced to use food banks to get by.
However, despite no longer appearing as a regular on TV screens, the star told MailOnline she ‘couldn’t be happier’ as she warmed up before her performance to the small crowd at the Dragon Lounge restaurant near her current home in Cleveleys, Lancashire this month.
Admitting she has never been one to care about money or materialistic items she said: ‘Look, I will be 60 in August and I have never been one to care about money. I am not like influencers and social media people who do things for money.
‘When I am not busy I do a lot of community projects, things like community theatre where I try and help other people develop their creative side.
‘I admit I have turned down a lot of things to my detriment, things that probably would have helped my career and, maybe, I would do things differently the second time around.
‘But even in EastEnders I did not want to act like the big Number One. To me it was just a job because that’s what I am, a performer.’
Cheryl made her first appearance as Heather on 26 June 2007 as the sidekick of character Shirley Carter (Linda Henry).
Cheryl recently announced a ‘return to the BBC ‘, 13 years after her character was murdered by Ben Mitchell in 2012
Cheryl made her first appearance as Heather on 26 June 2007 as the sidekick of character Shirley Carter (played by Linda Henry, right)
Her character was known for her headbands, love of cheese and George Michael and she went on to win the Funniest Performance award at the 2008 Inside Soap Awards.
She made her final screen appearance in March 2012 as a corpse, after being killed by Ben Mitchell (Joshua Pascoe).
Speaking about leaving the soap, the star expressed her sadness but admitted she mainly feels grateful for the role which she originally thought would last four or five episodes.
She explained: ‘When I got told I was leaving I was called up to an exec’s office and he was crying as he told me “People above me have told me you have to go. They want to develop other characters.”
‘But on my initial contract I was only supposed to be there for four or five episodes and in the end I got five years so I feel privileged to get that much out of it.
‘When it comes to an end you just have to deal with it. Some people believe the hype that surrounds them.’
