BBC star Amanda Mealing has admitted to drug driving following a collision that left a nurse seriously injured. Known for her role as Connie Beauchamp in Casualty and Holby City, Mealing veered across the road and collided with Mark Le Sage’s car while he was on his way to work.

Prosecutor Marie Stace told the court that Mealing, 57, who appeared under her married name of Amanda Sainsbury, suffered a head cut, a broken wrist and a broken clavicle in the January 2024 accident.

The actress admitted to driving under the influence of cocaine and driving without due care and attention. The court heard that Mealing had 18mcg of cocaine in her blood, exceeding the legal limit of 10mcg.

She has been banned from driving for 22 months and ordered to pay £485 in fines.

The court also found that Mealing was also in excess of 240mcg of benzoylecgonine, which is the chemical that cocaine leaves after being metabolised in the body. This is almost five times over the legal limit of 50mcg.

Le Sage described hearing ‘an explosion’ and felt his car starting ‘to spin’. His Skoda was hit by Mealing’s Mini Cooper on the A1175 at Hope Pole, near Stamford in Lincolnshire, reports The Mirror.

Prosecutor Ms Stace revealed: ‘He started to panic, the car was full of smoke and he couldn’t get out because his foot was stuck under the pedal. He did manage to escape and a paramedic who assessed him said he needed to go to hospital. There was a witness following the Mini, who said he assumed there was something in the road because it went onto the other side of the carriageway.”

In a police interview, Mealing confessed to taking cocaine the night before, according to Ms Stace. Le Sage, in a victim impact statement read out in court, stated that his motor skills have been seriously affected, preventing him from continuing his job as a theatre nurse.

Mealing’s solicitor, Mr Edward Lloyd, told the court that the defendant does not accept Le Sage’s account of his injuries, stating he wasn’t taken to hospital by ambulance, and there is no evidence of that level of injury.

Mr Lloyd said: “In terms of the offence, my client pleaded guilty to drug driving at the very first opportunity.

“It’s something she’s deeply ashamed of. She’s not somebody who takes drugs at all. Her brother died of a drugs overdose when she was 18 and she says herself that she should have known better.”

In 2021, Mealing reflected on the loss of her 32-year-old si sitting around. Go out and libling due to substance abuse. She said of her adoptive brother: “He was 14 years older than me, but we were incredibly close.”

Speaking to The Times, she added: “I think he had dabbled in drugs as a teenager. But it was just an accident. It was a real tragedy for everyone and, yes, it did influence me.

“It reminded me that life can be short and I thought there’s no pointve each day.”