Delighted Helen Flanagan declares she's back to her 'normal self' and 'living in the Starbucks drive-thru' after return of her driving licence following six month ban
Back in January, the ex Corrie actress, 34, t old the court her ex boyfriend Robbie Talbot was driving her £66,000 Audi Q7 when it was caught speeding twice.
She was subsequently barred from the roads for six months, despite claiming she was struggling financially and would not be able to afford taxis to get her children to school.
After being snapped back behind the wheel of her pricey motor last week, a delighted Helen took to her Instagram Stories to update her followers on Monday.
She gushed: 'I am so happy that I have got my driving licence back, I was nervous at first for like the first ten minutes I was like "It's so weird to be driving again" but now I just absolutely love it'.
'Back to my normal. I feel like I am back to myself now i'm back to the Trafford Centre and back living at the Starbucks drive-thru and I just feel like myself'.
After being snapped back behind the wheel of her pricey motor with a coffee last week (pictured) a delighted Helen took to her Instagram Stories to update her followers on Monday
In a chaotic social media post last month, Helen complained what a 'pain in the a***' it had been without a car and had been unable to run errands or go shopping for essentials due to living so remotely.
Taking to her Instagram Stories she explained her ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) had caused her to mix up paperwork to reapply for her licence, meaning the process would now be delayed further.
'I literally can't tell you what a pain in the a*** not having [my driving licence] because I live in the middle of nowhere, and of course I haven't been driving'.
'It's just been so b****y annoying, for example we are out of loo roll now and I can't pop out to the shops to get loo roll so my friend has to bring me loo roll'.
In court Helen said her isolated moorland home meant it was a 10-minute drive even to go to the shops to buy bread and milk, and that she would 'really struggle without a car' in the remote location.
The actress, who lives near Bolton, Greater Manchester, said she earned £70,000 last year – but said her income varies and that she could not afford a £10 taxi to take her son to nursery.
Prosecutor Stephen Kirk told how Helen, who already had six penalty points for speeding, failed to declare who had been driving the car when it was caught speeding at locations on Merseyside in June last year, doing 42mph in a 30mph limit and 51mph in a 40mph limit.
Magistrates gave her six more points for each offence - taking her total to 18 points, well above the 12-point threshold when magistrates normally impose a ban unless there is 'exceptional hardship'.
Helen was barred for six months, despite claiming she was struggling financially and would not be able to afford taxis to get her kids to school (pictured outside court)
Making her doomed plea to keep her licence, Helen said at the time: 'I am so sorry. I stupidly thought it was acceptable for my boyfriend to explain he was the one driving and it wasn't me.'
Helen told the court how she is a 'full-time' mother to children Matilda, nine, Delilah, six, and Charlie, three, using the car to take them to nursery, school and activities.
She said: 'My job really is being a mum at home. Their dad works away. It's really difficult at the moment now for me to be earning money. I earn money on social media but it kind of varies what I earn.'
She added: 'I think there might be a perception maybe that I would easily be able to afford a driver but that's quite far from the case.
'I've got enough money in my account to pay off my tax and my VAT and basically that's about it.'
Asked by solicitor, Patrick Boyers, how she takes her son Charlie to his nursery without a car, she said: 'The other way to get Charlie to nursery is by Uber (taxi). That would be really expensive. I'm really struggling at the moment, financially.'
Asked by the clerk how much it cost, she said: 'I did get an Uber from my house to the nursery this morning. It cost £10 that time.'
She also claimed her son 'doesn't do so well in a taxi' and that he's 'much better strapped into a car where he's safe'.
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