Millions of people watched her grow up on television in the early 1990s, but a few years later, she almost died of cocaine addiction.
This is the startling tale of Danniella Westbrook, one of the most well-known soap opera stars in television history.
A lowered jaw
Once a household name on EastEnders, 16-year-old Daniella Westbrook enthralled viewers with her fiery performance and rose to prominence as one of the most adored soap opera stars in the United Kingdom.
However, her ascent to popularity came at a high cost behind the scenes. The actress now has to deal with the painful effects of her past, including broken cheekbones, a collapsed jaw, and decaying bones after years of fighting addiction.
How, then, did this gifted actor get here?
Dreamed of being famous
Born in 1973, Daniella Westbrook was raised in the suburb of Loughton, which is just outside of London. She dreamed of being famous since she was a little child, and she started modelling when she was seven years old. Daniella didn’t have a showbiz background like many people in the entertainment sector do; her mother was a shop clerk and her father drove a cab.
Her career took off early in spite of this. She got jobs as a kid model for well-known international companies including Opel and Coca-Cola. After one chance led to another, Daniella quickly found herself entering the performing business, which would eventually make her a household name.
She even appeared in the West End production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat as a toddler and played a little robber in Melvyn Bragg’s London Programme. She also starred in the music video for Queen’s song “The Invisible Man” and had a brief appearance in Grange Hill.
Perhaps the most ironic instance, however, was when she showed up as a background extra in EastEnders at the age of eleven, roller-skating around Albert Square.
Her photo was even published in her local newspaper with the following caption: “Who knows? She might become the show’s star one day! They had no idea how accurate that prognosis would turn out to be.
A harmful addiction
Daniella’s childhood aspiration of becoming a famous person was on the verge of becoming a reality by the time she turned sixteen. Sam Mitchell, Phil and Grant’s feisty younger sister, was proposed for a significant part in EastEnders. She made her official debut on the soap opera in July 1990 following a successful audition.
Daniella’s on-screen persona and innate charm made her a fan favourite right away, and she participated in several of the show’s most significant plots. She startled many, however, by leaving after only three years in 1993, eager to pursue other acting chances.
But fame wasn’t finished with her just yet. Producers from EastEnders approached her once more in 1995, offering her the opportunity to reprise the part that had made her famous. It was supposed to be her big break. Behind the scenes, however, Daniella was struggling with a deadly cocaine addiction that was gradually starting to affect her life and work.
In actuality, Daniella Westbrook’s decline started long before she gained widespread recognition. On a night out at a club when she was just 14, she used cocaine for the first time. Her drug use rapidly increased, and she was already a fixture on London’s party scene when she was 16 years old and got the part of Sam Mitchell in EastEnders. Daniella later acknowledged using “half a gramme” of cocaine “maybe once a week,” indicating that what had begun as an occasional indulgence quickly turned into a habit.
“Everyone was drinking Coca-Cola in the clubs I frequented, and it seemed glamorous—but it wasn’t at all.” I was simply too young, foolish, and easily influenced. When young people arrive at EastEnders, I believe someone should tell them, “Look, your life is about to change, you’re going to be invited places, and you’re going to be offered drugs,” she asserted.
Over $300,000 was spent on her addiction.
The repercussions increased as the addiction did. Her formerly bright job was beginning to elude her, she started to arrive late to work, and her behaviour became unpredictable.
She checked herself into the London-based Charter Nightingale Clinic in 1995 after her cocaine addiction reached a breaking point. Michael Jackson is among the well-known celebs who have received treatment at this rehab centre.
Danniella revealed that she spent an astounding $311,300 on her addiction at the height of her nightclub-fueled existence. However, the price was not only monetary; her romance with pop singer Brian Harvey was ruined due to her spiralling substance misuse, which added yet another tragic chapter to her demise.
Every parent’s worst nightmare is me. I’ve completed everything. After completing treatment in 1995, Daniella said, “I apologise to my parents all the time.”
She nevertheless continued to use five grammes of cocaine every day for the duration of her first pregnancy. She acknowledged having attempted suicide several times when she was at her lowest, overcome by the intensity of her addiction.
Turning off the television
Producers of EastEnders decided to write her off the show in 1996 when they had had enough. When the showrunners chose to bring Sam Mitchell back to EastEnders in 1999, Daniella was given another opportunity in spite of everything. Instead of recasting the part, they gambled on her again.
However, years of cocaine misuse had ruined her nasal septum, and by that time, her addiction had reached a worrisome new low. Producers had to shoot her from angles that concealed the damage in an effort to keep her on screen.
She came and went from EastEnders in the 2000s, occasionally portraying Sam Mitchell herself and other times taking Kim Medcalf’s place.
She continued to be well-known outside of the soap opera by participating in reality series like Celebrity Big Brother and Dancing on Ice. She continues to create waves in the British press even after leaving TV in 2016.
Her struggles have not only been professional in nature. Danniella has experienced severe health problems, including psychological disorders. Speaking candidly about her illnesses, she stated, “I have borderline personality disorder, I’m bipolar, [paranoid] schizophrenia, I’ve got lots of different things,” during an interview on Loose Women in 2017.
There were more health scares. After a misdiagnosis, she received treatment for womb cancer in 2018. Fortunately, the following year she received the all-clear. She was then admitted to the intensive care unit in 2022 due to an unexpected episode of sepsis, but she recovered completely with prompt medical attention.
terrible vehicle collision
Additionally, Danniella has had equally dramatic relationships in her personal life. She dated East 17 singer Brian Harvey for a long time in the 1990s before dating Robert Fernandez, with whom she had a son in 1996.
However, tragedy struck when Danniella was involved in a horrifying vehicle accident in 1998. She suffered significant facial injuries, including a dislocated eye, after being flung through the windscreen at 85 mph. She miraculously avoided serious disfigurement following corrective surgery.
She married Ben Morgan, a van driver she had known for just eight weeks, later that year. After moving to Australia, their brief affair ended, and they got divorced less than a year later.
Next came businessman Kevin Jenkins, whom she married in 2001, a few months after their daughter Jodie was born.
Danniella appeared to be adjusting to a more sedate life for a while. Following her appearance on I’m a Celebrity… Leave Me Alone! She even said, “These days, I live an ordinary life,” in 2003, indicating that she was done pursuing stardom. In addition to doing laundry and the school run, I also make dinner for my family and work occasionally.
However, her marriage to Kevin ended in 2014. Furthermore, even though Danniella Westbrook may have left the small screen behind, her life has never been typical.
Today, Danniella Westbrook
As of 2025, Danniella is still in the news, although more often now it’s because of her looks than her acting. She is currently 51 years old and has had several plastic procedures over the years, some of which have caused excruciating after effects.
She suffered from excruciating agony when she travelled to Portugal last year following surgery in Turkey. Only after a hospital procedure could I travel to Portugal. It was the most excruciating agony I had felt in days. At the moment, she posted on Instagram, “I literally feel like I have a hole in my head.”
Fans have harshly criticised Danniella for her cosmetic surgery, and she has freely acknowledged that she is nervous about the outcome. She admitted, “I can’t lie,” following liposuction, fillers, and Botox. I think the medical staff was fed up with me asking if this was normal because I was so swollen after the liposuction, fillers, and Botox that I feared I was going to explode.
View this post on Instagram
However, some of her procedures have been more than just cosmetic; for example, she had to have her jaw rebuilt after years of cocaine usage caused her bones to deteriorate. She remarked, “I just don’t look like me anymore,” as she considered the effects of her previous addiction. I didn’t need that, but it’s obvious that medications will cause me to age considerably more quickly.
She even had a moment when her cheeks fell in. She talked about how, in sharp contrast to her former dazzling appearance, the left side of her face was totally sunken when she woke up.
Despite being viewed as a beauty icon at one point, Danniella has faced many emotional and physical challenges along the way. She continues to share her experiences with admirers and maintains her public profile in spite of everything.