Sheila Hancock - Sheila Hancock 'Drawn To Volatile Men'

The stage and screen star has been married twice - to actors Alec Ross and John Thaw, who both died from oesophageal cancer and were both known for being heavy drinkers.

Now Hancock has opened up about the marriages, insisting she opts for addictive partners because she holds similar traits.

During an interview for Sky Arts, she says, "There's no doubt that the men in my life had a volatility that came from drinking very often, and I must be drawn to that, otherwise why would I continuously have done it? So there is a part of me that likes the drama of that.

"It is well known that people who are involved with people who have addictive problems have a problem themselves. You are drawn to mad living, a kind of insane thing. It is much nicer when it stops, believe you me."

And Hancock admits she didn't help Ross and Thaw overcome their issues: "Constantly going along with the moods and the madness was detrimental to my partners, and it is only when you learn that there is unacceptable behaviour that you should not accept, that those people have to pull themselves together."