Loose Women's Linda Robson reveals her career almost ended after taking drugs on controversial ITV show

Linda Robson has revealed she was told her 50-year showbiz career would be over after signing up for a controversial TV show.

The Loose Women star, 65, was one of five celebrities who toured America in a psychedelic bus to explore cannabis use on ITV series Gone To Pot back in 2017.

Linda and her co-stars, Pam St Clement, Christopher Biggins, John Fashanu and Bobby George, took marijuana in various forms on the tour, which culminated in them wanting cannabis legalised in the UK.

However, Linda was warned by her agent before taking the job that it could be risky for her career.

Linda explained to The Sun: ‘My agent thought it was [risky] when I was asked to do Gone To Pot.

Brutal: Linda Robson has revealed she was told her 50-year showbiz career would be over after signing up for a controversial TV show

Road trip: The Loose Women star, 65, was one of five celebrities who toured America in a psychedelic bus to explore cannabis use on ITV series Gone To Pot back in 2017

‘She said “I don’t think you should do it. You’re a daytime face on television, you’ll probably never work again”. But I said, “The series I’m doing is for ITV, I do most of my work for ITV anyway, so I don’t see how it can hurt in any way”‘.

Fortunately, Linda’s three grown-up children disagreed. She continued: ‘I asked the kids as well. I said, “I’ve been asked to do a programme called Gone To Pot where I travel around America in a psychedelic bus and I’m going to be taking cannabis. What do you think?'”

‘And they said, “We think you’re the coolest mum in the world”. I always ask the kids whatever I’m doing because it affects them as well. They were for it, and they loved the series.’

Christopher Biggins and Linda were among the stars visiting the states in America which have legalised marijuana, for a series addressing the hugely controversial debate over whether the drug should be allowed in Britain.

All the stars in Gone To Pot suffer from medical conditions which it is claimed can be eased with cannabis.

After discussion with a doctor, they obtained licences allowing them to buy marijuana.

The drug has two active compounds associated with medicinal properties – cannabidiol (CBD), which is said to help with pain relief; and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the part of the plant which produces a ‘high’ and is also claimed to act as a relaxant.

Suffering from mood swings and hot flushes, Ms Robson, 59, was looking for a remedy from the symptoms of menopause, and also her difficulty sleeping due to jet-lag.

In Oakland, California, she bought a cannabis brownie from the Harborside Health Center marijuana dispensary, where the shelves are brimming over with plants, oils, crisps, cookies and chocolates containing the drug.

After being up until 4am, Robson decided to eat the brownie. ‘I felt so relaxed and then I went back to sleep for four hours,’ she said.

Filming: Linda and her co-stars took marijuana in various forms on the tour, which culminated in them wanting cannabis legalised in the UK

It comes after the Birds of a Feather actress reportedly told friends she is going through a marriage crisis with Mark .

The couple, who married in 1990, live together in London but it was claimed in recent weeks they have been having relationship difficulties.

And last month Linda jetted off to Mallorca on a solo holiday and had a ‘really really lovely’ time on her own.

A source told The Sun on Sunday : ‘Linda has been quite open behind the scenes about problems in her marriage.

‘They hit a bit of a rough patch before Christmas but they’ve managed to work through it.

‘Linda turned to her family and close friends who supported her through it all.’

The actress recently spoke about going through ‘ups and downs’ in her relationship.

She reportedly told Best magazine: ‘There have been ups and downs, obviously, like any couple. What I think we have in common is that we love our kids more than anything.’

Linda and Mark share children Louis, 31, and Roberta, 27. Linda also has a daughter Lauren, 40, with her ex Tony Tyler.

Linda – who previously spoke out about a few rough years she’d suffered with Mark – previously recalled on Loose Women the hurt she went through after she was cheated on by two former partners.

The show’s panel were discussing how Emmerdale actress Amy Nuttall became suspicious of husband Andrew Buchan before he left her for fellow Better cast member Leila Farzad.

Linda – who previously claimed she has never stripped off in front of husband Mark – said: ‘It’s intuition, it’s happened to me twice.

‘Two partners have cheated on me, and both times I’ve known something was wrong in the relationship and I’ve confronted them and they’ve always denied it.

‘Until eventually one of their friends or one of your friends says, ‘Do you know that this has been happening behind your back?”

Linda also previously spoke out about suffering heartbreak when her ex-partner of 11 years Tony Tyler cheated on her.

Relationship: The couple, who married in 1990, live together in London but it was claimed in recent weeks they have been having relationship difficulties (pictured in 2015)

She told the Loose Women audience in 2017: ‘I caught my ex several times cheating on me — even when I was pregnant with Lauren.

‘Once I was away and Lauren was away with me. When I got back, everything seemed fine in the flat.

‘But when I went to go to bed that night, I moved the pillow and there was a tissue with lipstick on it, and long blonde hairs.

‘I remember saying to my ex ‘what’s this?’, and he said ‘one of my friends stayed and her partner, it must be from her.’ But you know when you know?’