Eastenders actress Kierston Wareing talks about abuse past

Eastenders actress Kierston Wareing has talked about about being abused by two former ex-boyfriends.

Wareing, who was revealed as Max Branning's secret wife Kirsty in the soap on Boxing Day, said that she was beaten "black and blue" by one boyfriend when she was just 14.

She also talked about another partner, who she was with in her twenties, who she said would hit her every weekend, attacked her with a plank and even knocked one of her teeth out.

According to dailymail.co.uk, she said: "My whole eye was closed. I had great bumps like eggs on my head, bruises black and blue. You wouldn't have recognised me. He once tried to hit me with a crowbar but missed."

It is reported by thetimes.co.uk that more than 1 million women in the UK suffer from domestic abuse every year. Anyone who has suffered domestic violence could be seriously affected psychologically and may want to invest in counselling courses to help them adjust to life after abuse.

The 34-year-old actress said she turned into a "nervous wreck" after the abuse and became so stressed she went down to a skeletal seven stone.

However, she managed to channel her energy into her acting career - starring in dramas such as 'The Shadow Line', 'Luther' 'Top Boy' and film 'Fishtank'.

She was even awarded a BAFTA nomination for her role in Ken Loach's 2007 film 'It's A Free World'.