Holby City's Jeremy Sheffield says he's taking a break from the BBC1 show for the sake of his mental health.

The actor, who plays surgeon Alex Adams, claims he has been cracking up under the strain of the drama's punishing work schedule.

He says he will be taking a two-month holiday to Milan to have a rest and catch up with friends.

Jeremy told Teletext: "I've been in every episode for the past six months and it was getting too much. I was going insane."

"I've been in the show for two years and the last six months have been so intense.

"I've been working six days a week, between 11 and 12 hours a day and it just got too much.

"I'm escaping my life in London and boarding a plane to Milan. For two years I haven't seen a lot of friends because I've been so busy working on Holby City.

"So the plan is to just go around the world seeing people I haven't been able to see for a long time."

Jeremy says viewers can look forward to some dramatic scenes from Dr Adams before he makes his exit.

He said: "We shot it a couple of weeks ago and it's connected to the exit of Anton Meyer (George Irving)."