Coronation Street star Bruce Jones said he tried to kill himself after he discovered the Yorkshire Ripper’s first victim.
Just a week has passed since Sutcliffe died aged 74 after a battle with coronavirus.
The Yorkshire Ripper killed 13 women in a murder spree across Yorkshire and north-west England before he was arrested.
But the horror of his crimes will continue to haunt the UK, especially Bruce who relived the sheer terror of discovering mutilated Jean Jordan in 1977.
Now the former soap star, 67, spoke about the time he took an overdose after the nightmares terrorised him and his life changed forever.
The star, who is best known for his role of Les Battersby on the cobbles, told The Sun : “What I saw that day changed my life forever. Every time I’d close my eyes I’d see that poor girl and be reminded of what that monster did to her.
“In the weeks afterwards I just wanted a way out and for the nightmares to stop. That’s why I tried to do myself in.”
Bruce discovered the Yorkshire Ripper’s first victim, 20, in Manchester in 1977.
His discovery tormented him in the form of vivid nightmares.
But the actor told himself he had to keep on living for himself and for his children as he vowed not to let the Ripper win.
“I knew I couldn’t let the Ripper win,” he added to the newspaper. “I told myself I needed to live and keep going – not just for myself and for my kids too.”
Previously, Bruce claimed his first marriage broke down after the gruesome discovery changed everything.
He told The Mirror in 2013: “[Sutcliffe] uncovered her, he was there that day, he’d hacked away at her. I lost my first marriage, my children.
“I lost everything because of that. It actually destroyed me to learn that people can do that to a human being. I had nightmares like you wouldn’t believe.”
Bruce played the role of Les in Corrie for 10 years before he was axed in 2007.