The 60-year-old has bravely spoken out about her financial ruin to help others avoid her mistakes

EASTENDERS’ Cheryl Fergison has confessed she was conned out of a “humongous” amount of money.

The former soap star, 60, was forced to claim benefits and turn to a food bank for help.

For the first time since admitting her financial struggles, Cheryl says the real reason behind it has not yet been revealed.

Speaking on ITV’s This Morning, the actress said: “There is a circumstance that started this. which I can’t talk about at this moment in time, but it started to spiral.

“The only way I can say it is I was conned out of a humongous amount of money.

“That led to the cancer thing and everything spiralled. I was robbing Peter to pay Paul.

“I ended up having to sell my house. Now I am living up north and renting.”

Cheryl – who played Heather Trott in the BBC soap from 2007 to 2012 – bravely spoke out about using Citizens Advice for help when she got into massive debt.

“I grew up in council estates. I’d never really had money and we’ve never managed money well as a family”, continued Cheryl.

When I was in EastEnders you suddenly get all this money and I thought, ‘I’m going to treat my friends and family to holidays they’ve never had’.

“When I got money, it would just go. It was frittered away. You think you’re going to be like the lovely Steve McFadden [Phil Mitchell] and be on EastEnders for ever and ever, but you’re not.

“If the jobs don’t come in as quick as they were then you start running low.”