'I have driven my son to buy his heroin fix': EastEnders actress Laila Morse reveals her secret torment trying to save jailbird Gerry


Secret torment: EastEnders actress Laila Morse has revealed for the first time her son's desperate battle with drink and drugs

Secret torment: EastEnders actress Laila Morse has revealed for the first time her son's desperate battle with drink and drugs

She may play an EastEnders battle-axe but actress Laila Morse has revealed her secret inner torment trying to save her heroin addict son.

Soap favourite Laila admitted she has even driven Gerry, 44, to pick up heroin from seedy drugs dens and paying for his next hit, just to stop her jailbird son from turning to stealing.

The 67-year-old, who fell pregnant at 17, says she has spent 35 years worrying about Gerry and even blames herself for her son turning to a life of drugs and crime.

In a soul-searching autobiography Laila, who plays Mo Harris in the BBC 1 soap, has revealed how she beat cancer ten years ago, was conned out of £66,000 and how she dealt with stalker.

The book, aptly called Just a Mo: My Story, deals with Laila's extraordinary life.

Laila, who was born Mo Oldman, is the sister of famous actor Gary Oldman - who has paid for nephew Gerry to go to rehab twice.

Speaking to The Daily Mirror Laila explained how difficult it was to deal with her son turning to a life of drugs - which Gerry did at just 16, by sniffing glue.

'When he got on to heroin he turned to crime to feed his habit, but I visited him in prison. And when he was out I’d drive him to his dealers and give him money for his next fix because I couldn’t see him in agony.'

The young mother was forced to turn to social services when her son was just nine and he was taken to a strict state boarding school, although when he returned six years later he was soon lost to drugs.

Soap favourite: Laila plays Mo Harris in the BBC 1 soap, pictured here with Pam St Clement, who played Pat

Soap favourite: Laila plays Mo Harris in the BBC 1 soap, pictured here with Pam St Clement, who played Pat

And the actress emotionally said: ' I was often consumed by guilt – thinking it had to be my fault Gerry had gone off the rails.'

Laila later left Gerry's father and settled with a new love, and she got her big break when brother Gary landed her a role in Bafta-winning movie Nil By Mouth, playing the mother of a drug addict.

It cost her her marriage but the gritty actress went on to land her role in EastEnders as tough-talking Mo.

Tough-talking: Laila's life has as many plot twists as the soap she stars in

Tough-talking: Laila's life has as many plot twists as the soap she stars in

Although her career went from strength to strength at home Laila was tormented by her son, eventually reaching breaking point after banned driver Gerry took her Audi and smashed it while high on alcohol and drugs.

She shopped him to the police and he was sentenced to eight months in prison.

Despite the past Laila is happy her son has just been released from prison and is staying hopeful he will stick to the right path, without drugs.

Hopefully, she said: 'I just can’t give up hope. He’s still my boy and I love him.'



The comments below have been moderated in advance.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.