Overview
- In an August 2026 interview with The Sunday Times magazine, the 78-year-old West End star said she became dependent on sleeping tablets during her theatre career and has not taken them since the pandemic.
- Paige described feeling 'wired' after performances and said she would wake after a few hours, which led her to rely on pills she called 'dreadful' and likened to a 'Judy Garland syndrome.'
- She told the outlet she quit the tablets during the COVID-19 lockdowns and now tells herself that a bad night’s sleep is manageable without medication.
- Paige has not performed onstage since the first COVID lockdown and has spent the past two decades presenting Elaine Paige on Sunday on BBC Radio 2.
- The disclosure arrives as Paige’s career is being celebrated—she was made a DBE in June 2025 and received a Special Award at the Olivier Awards—and may add to public discussion about performers’ health and the impact of late-night schedules on sleep and substance use.