Patrick Stewart on how he got hooked on sleeping pills after divorce

Patrick and Sheila Falconer split after more than 20 years of marriage.

The actor opened up about this time in his new memoir 'Making It So'.

He said, after the divorce, he became "dependent on sleeping pills to get me the hours of restoration I needed to do my job properly".

At the time Patrick was filming Star Trek where he played Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

In his memoir, the actor said he later "quit the pills" but still struggled with his sleep.

Sleeping pills come with important warnings and risks, and anyone who has experienced similar dependency should seek immediate help.

The pills can be prescribed for those who have insomnia.

However, they are rarely offered by UK GPs as they have serious side effects.

Users can quickly become reliant on them, so they are often to be used only for a few days or weeks.

The pills are prescribed as a last resort when other treatments have not worked, according to NHS.

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