EXCLUSIVE Helen Flanagan is seen back behind the wheel of her £66k car for the first time since being banned from driving for six months
Back in January, the ex Corrie actress, 34, t old the court her ex-footballer 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.
And Helen appeared in good spirits as she made the most of her newfound road freedom as she ran errands in her car near her home in Bolton.
Keeping things casual for the low-key outing, the soap actress dressed down in a grey tracksuit and white trainers as she filled up her petrol.
Helen, who sported gold earrings and shades atop her slicked-back hair, was also seen stopping off for a coffee, looking relaxed while carrying her takeaway cup ack to her vehicle.
The blonde beauty certainly looked pleased to be reunited with her luxury Audi just weeks after ranting about the loss of her driving licence.
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'.
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.'
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