Casualty's Amanda Mealing's new job after drug crash left nurse with injuries
Casualty's Amanda Mealing has landed herself a new job after cocaine-fuelled car crash left a nurse with life-changing injuries. The actress has a new project to focus on as she headed out to Malta earlier this month to work on a special episode of Channel 5 show Good Ship Murder alongside well-known faced Catherine Tyldesley, Shayne Ward and Ross Adams.
The 57-year-old has been offered the lifeline back into showbiz after admitting to driving with cocaine in her system and driving without due care and attention after a crash near her home in Deeping St Nicholas, Lincolnshire, back in January 2024.
While the court hearing was going on this March, Amanda's solicitor said how the actress turned to cocaine to cope while going through a divorce from husband Richard Sainsburys. She was also going through the deaths of her father, best friend and her dog.
Amanda was also diagnosed with blood cancer, after being diagnosed with breast cancer years before. It was reported that she had taken cocaine the night before the crash and was driving home when her car drifted across the road and hit an oncoming Skoda driven by nurse Mark Le Sage.
He was left seriously injured and had to change his career due to the crash. The actress who plays Connie Beauchamp on Casualty was banned from driving for 28 months, reduced to 22 months as she had already served a six-month interim ban.
The court also fined her £482 and ordered to pay £400 costs and a surcharge of £194. She agreed to pay at a rate of £100 a month.
The MailOnline reported that a source said: "Amanda is a phenomenal actress and has made many friends within the industry. Everyone has been rallying around her. She admitted what she did and opened up about what was going on in her life at the time.
"She is not a bad person and has been through a lot. She was already in talks about appearing on the murder mystery drama before the court case. And once it was all over, the little guest role gave her the life-line she very much needed."
Good Ship Murder has become a popular series on Channel 5 and sees different much-loved celebs appear each week. The third series will air on our screens next year.
Other stars due to appear on the next series will include Birds of a Feather legends Linda Robson and Lesley Joseph. Since leaving her job at Casualty in 2021, Amanda has moved from acting to directing which included for an episode of the BBC TV series Waterloo Road.
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