A TV talent show star was left “haunted by trauma” after she “cheated death” during a freak accident on a luxury cruise liner.

Brenda Cochrane, who shot to fame after winning record votes on 1990s talent show Opportunity Knocks, has been left battling post-traumatic stress disorder.

Two years ago, while invited to perform on a Princess Cruises liner, Brenda plunged through the stage floor into a 35ft chasm.

She was left with whiplash, a back injury and deep tissue damage to her leg - but, she says, the psychological trauma has been harder to recover from.

The 59-year-old said: “I’m quite a level-headed person but it was honestly terrifying.

“Imagine those clips on the internet you see when someone unknowingly falls through the cellar hatch in a pub floor – well it was like that.

“I was told I cheated death because I fell on the drum kit but if I landed a few inches to the right then I could have fallen a further 35 feet.

“It took a long time to recover physically from the injuries but I’m still haunted by nightmares and suffering from PTSD and all the anguish and trauma that brings.”

Brenda was booked to work on the Princess Regal cruise ship in August 2017 and while the vessel was docked at Copenhagen, Denmark, she was rehearsing with musicians.

She was standing near the drum kit which was set up on a special platform that would rise up from beneath the stage.

However as she was singing it suddenly descended and Brenda fell nearly five feet into the void.

She was hauled to safety by quick-thinking stage hands but was forced to pull out of the week-long show on the vessel and was left with post-traumatic stress that left her unable to go near a stage again.

Brenda, from Uddingston, added: “My voice remains okay but it’s the fear of actually walking on a stage that I now struggle with.

“The injuries were bad but not being able to perform was worse.

“I’ve worked on stages for most of my life but something like this has never happened.

“I now have this fear of performing again because my imagination just goes into overdrive and I start panicking about everything that could go wrong.

“Other people who’ve experienced a fright like this will know what it’s like. It’s like if you were bitten by a dog – the last thing you’d want is to go near another dog.

“I know I’m over the worst of it now and I’ve been speaking to professionals so hopefully I’ll be able to get passed it soon enough.”

Digby Brown Solicitors investigated Princess Cruises over Brenda’s accident and concluded the floor likely opened up because someone off-stage unknowingly pressed the controls for the drum kit platform.

They also found that despite inviting Brenda aboard the ship as a guest entertainer there were inadequate risk assessments in place to ensure her safety.

Princess Cruises ended up paying Brenda an undisclosed sum in damages to compensate the singer for her injuries.

Mark Gibson, Head of the Foreign & Travel team at Digby Brown, said: “This was a traumatic experience for our client and she could very easily have been more seriously injured.

“We are pleased to have been able to support Brenda and we wish her all the best with her recovery.”

Princess Cruises was contacted for comment.