The former Casualty actress who has been given a drug-driving ban is Amanda Mealing, known for her prominent role as Connie Beauchamp in both Casualty and Holby City.

Here are the details of the incident and the ban:

• The Incident: Mealing was involved in a three-vehicle collision on the A1175 near Hop Pole, Lincolnshire, on January 26, 2024.
• Charges and Plea: At a hearing at Boston Magistrates’ Court on March 14, 2025, she pleaded guilty to:
  • Being over the drug-driving limit, having tested positive for cocaine and benzoylecgonine (a substance produced when the body processes cocaine) in a roadside test. She had 18 micrograms of cocaine in her blood (the legal limit is 10 micrograms) and was almost five times over the legal limit for benzoylecgonine.
  • Driving without due care and attention.
• The Ban and Penalties: She was banned from driving for 22 months. She was also fined £485, with an additional £400 in court costs and a surcharge of £194.
• Victim Impact: The collision seriously injured a theatre nurse, Mark Le Sage, who was driving to work. He suffered significant injuries that have reportedly forced him to give up his career due to impaired fine motor skills, as well as ongoing pain and psychological trauma.
• Mealing’s Statement/Context: Mealing’s solicitor stated in court that she was “deeply ashamed” and expressed that she was going through a difficult period in her life, including divorce proceedings and the recent deaths of her father, best friend, and dog. It was also revealed that she is battling blood cancer and is not currently working. She admitted to taking cocaine the night before the accident but stated she had no idea it would still be in her system when she drove the next morning.

Mealing had played the formidable cardiothoracic consultant Connie Beauchamp in Casualty from 2014 to 2021, and in Holby City from 2004 to 2010. She had previously left Casualty in March 2021, stating she would return after an “extended break.”

Here are the details of the incident and the ban: The Incident: Mealing was involved in a three-vehicle collision on the A1175 near Hop Pole, Lincolnshire, on January 26, 2024. Charges and Plea: At a hearing at Boston Magistrates’ Court on March 14, 2025, she pleaded guilty to: Being over the drug-driving limit, having tested…