Sheridan Smith is 'lucky to be alive' after she lost control of her Range Rover during Storm Arwen and ploughed into a tree at high speed.
The 40-year-old actress was driving the £100,000 Range Rover round a tight bend just yards from her home in Essex when she swerved off the road during icy conditions on Saturday.
Sheridan and her boyfriend Alex Lawler were said to be in the car at the time of the horror crash which left the mother-of-one with cuts and bruises, reported The Sun.
Sheridan Smith is 'lucky to be alive' after she lost control of her Range Rover during Storm Arwen and ploughed into a tree at high speed
The collision caused severe damage to the higher branches of the tree, suggesting that the car may have been in the air as it crashed.
A neighbour told the publication: 'Sheridan is so lucky to be alive. It could have been so much worse. Her car was stuck in the tree, it was a really bad crash.
'It could have been so much worse, she had cuts and bruises, but it could have been fatal, she was incredibly lucky. It was a brand new Range Rover, she hasn't had it long. It's almost a miracle she's not hurt herself more.
The 40-year-old actress was driving the £100,000 Range Rover round a tight bend just yards from her home in Essex when she swerved off the road
The collision caused severe damage to the higher branches of the tree, suggesting that the car may have been in the air as it crashed
'It's an incredibly tight bend to take at the best of times, never mind in a freezing storm like Arwen. For the car to be actually stuck in the tree it must have been travelling with some force. She managed to get back to the house then someone called the cops.
'But thank goodness there were land-owners to cut up the tree blocking the road or police would never have got through. It doesn't bear thinking about what might have happened.'
Sheridan Smith pictured next to her new Range Rover with a salesman in Essex
Essex police confirmed that they had spoken to Sheridan and her boyfriend after the crash and that no other driver was involved and there had not been a crime committed.
Officers found large fragments of the £100,000 Range Rover including a rear bumper and lights on the floor at the scene.
The crash near the village of Little Sampford, Saffron Walden, Essex, came just 90 minutes before an episode of The Jonathon Ross Show - in which Sheridan was a guest - aired on ITV.
Sheridan reportedly had a backstage meltdown and threatened to sack her team in a row about misogyny after her appearance on show.
Sheridan and her boyfriend Alex Lawler were said to be in the car at the time of the horror crash which left the mother-of-one with cuts and bruises
The star filmed the chat show alongside Gary Barlow, and fellow guests Jeremy Clarkson, Riz Ahmed and Sting.
But reports suggest that despite seeming in good spirits on camera, Sheridan claimed the show had a 'chauvinistic' atmosphere, and felt she 'hadn't been treated kindly,' and lashed out at her team for organising the interview.
It's unclear what directly upset Sheridan, who was the only female guest on that episode, but a show spokesperson said she told host Jonathan it 'wasn't him.'
A source told The Sun: 'Sheridan was absolutely furious when filming on Jonathan Ross had ended.
'She claimed the atmosphere was chauvinistic and there was an air of misogyny. She also claimed that she felt she had not been treated with kindness.
'Sheridan was seen shouting at the team who had come with her and said she was sacking them at one point. It was clear Sheridan was upset with her team backstage after filming.'
While a spokesperson for Jonathan Ross told the publication: 'Sheridan seemed to have a great time on the show but appeared to become upset afterwards.
'Jonathan asked her if she was okay and she said, ''Don't
