Danniella Westbrook
- Actress
From the bubbly blonde with starry blue eyes and those famous hot pants
to being the most famous cocaine addict in Britain, Danniella Westbrook
is no stranger to the attentions of the media. Born on 5 November 1973
in Walthamstow, the only daughter of Andy and Sue Westbrook, she knew
that her life would be far from just ordinary.
As a young child Danniella dreamed of becoming a champion show jumper,
but that all changed when she was just seven-years-old. For at that
early age Westbrook entered into the world of show business dreaming a
different dream; becoming the new
Jodie Foster. She began her career as a
child model, and the next few years saw her model children's
fashionware in various catalogues, enter numerous beauty contests and,
one of the highlights of her modelling career, become the face of the
high street store Tammy Girl. It wasn't long before stage school
beckoned in the form of The Sylvia Young
Theatre School, where she attended weekend classes and later became a
full-time student due to bullying at her local school.
Then on 19 July 1990 Westbrook became a household name as she appeared
as her most famous character, Sam Mitchell, on the highly-praised and
highly-watched BBC One soap opera:
EastEnders (1985). The timing
couldn't have been better as the sixteen-year-old had just been asked
politely to leave school and the future was uncertain, but as she
walked through the famous Albert Square in her quintessential costume
consisting of a tight sweater and denim hotpants she knew that she had
made it, and she knew that her life was about to change forever.
Danniella's original stint on the classic soap opera came to an end
just shy of three years, with her final scenes being aired on 4
February 1993. During this time Westbrook's character Sam had been
involved in highly-publicised storylines, including a now-famous
romance with mechanic Ricky Butcher (Sid Owen)
which resulted in a teenage elopement to Gretna Green, as well as her
aspirations to become a model, leading to a brief career in topless
modelling and culminating in an affair with a yuppie that led to her
downfall. Danniella had made the decision to quit
EastEnders (1985), feeling that
three years was enough to make her mark on television and the door was
left open for her to return at any time.
Away from EastEnders (1985),
Danniella's career was just beginning. She found herself inundated with
modelling work, and was also given the opportunity to work on the TV
series
Frank Stubbs Promotes (1993),
portraying a character completely opposite to Sam: moody teenager Dawn
Dillon. Working with esteemed actors
Timothy Spall and
Lesley Sharp, the show was a success and
proved that Westbrook had a future in acting outside of soap operas.
Unfortunately the show was axed in 1994 after just two seasons, and
Danniella decided to return to what she knew best:
EastEnders (1985).
Danniella's return scenes, which saw Sam's brothers Phil
(Steve McFadden) and Grant
(Ross Kemp) find her in Spain working in a
seedy club and bring her back home to Albert Square, were aired in July
1995. However Westbrook's second stint wasn't as fruitful as her
original. Behind the cameras Danniella's private life had begun to
spiral out of control due to her addiction to cocaine. She had started
taking cocaine before she had even entered
EastEnders (1985) the first time,
but by now it was starting to take its toll on the pretty young actress
and her work suffered extremely. Eventually a decision by the producers
was reached; to terminate Westbrook's one-year contract early.
Danniella's exit scenes, where she left Albert Square for Spain with
her new Spanish boyfriend Guillermo, were aired in March 1996 and her
eight months in the soap had seen her involved in a love triangle with
ex-husband Ricky and new girlfriend Bianca Jackson
(Patsy Palmer), as well as have a
relationship with Bianca's father David Wicks
(Michael French), and cause
plenty of trouble for the Mitchell family. Once again the door was left
open for her to return. However Danniella was facing a new role in her
life: motherhood.
On 23 November 1996, Danniella gave birth to her beloved son Kai.
Unfortunately, however, it wasn't the incentive to give up on cocaine
like her family and friends had hoped. During her pregnancy she had
used as much as five grams of cocaine per day, and it was a miracle
that the child had survived and not been left with any disability. She
took a hiatus from her acting career to raise her son, taking on a few
modelling jobs in order to keep them afloat, but her cocaine addiction
was spiralling out of control. Prior to her pregnancy she had spent a
week in The Priory, leaving because she felt that she wasn't an addict.
After constant drug abuse she was given an opportunity to redeem
herself when EastEnders (1985)
asked her back for a third stint, and Sam was once again seen returning
to Albert Square, this time on our screens in July 1999. However
Danniella was keeping another secret from the public. Her cocaine abuse
throughout the years had caused her septum to disintegrate, leaving her
with one gaping nostril instead of two. Once discovered by the press at
The British Soap Awards, the producers had no choice but to axe Sam
again before her one-year contract and in January 2000 her last scenes,
which saw Sam live with her friend in South London, were aired and two
years later Sam was recast with actress
Kim Medcalf in the role.
By this time Danniella was in serious need of help. She had alienated
all family and friends, and was now living with her son in a flat above
a social club, followed by a brief stint in a half-way hostel. She had
lost her looks, and was reduced to doing an odd shift in the social
club where she would be jeered at by punters. But one man had faith in
her: her boyfriend Kevin Jenkins. The businessman, and former
alcoholic, sought out the help Danniella needed and she attended a
rehabilitation centre in Arizona whilst pregnant with their child.
After spending months there she came out finally clean and prepared for
motherhood again. However heartbreak was to follow as the world became
aware of her antics and her son was taken into care. After a few months
apart Danniella was finally reunited with her son, and she later gave
birth to her daughter Jodie on 5 September 2001.
The recovering drug addict then forged herself a career in television
presenting following a disastrous stint on
I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! (2002)
in 2003. For the next three years she presented various shows, such as
ones discussing cosmetic surgery, before again taking a hiatus in 2006
in order to write her groundbreaking autobiography The Other Side of
Nowhere, which was released in April 2006. Danniella then continued to
raise her family before being given the chance of redemption: to return
as Sam Mitchell and finish her story on
EastEnders (1985). Convinced that
she would never again portray her beloved Sam after the recast,
Westbrook took the opportunity with both hands and, after nearly 10
years off screen, her returning scenes were aired on 4 September 2009.
However, Danniella's time in the spotlight was not over yet. From
January to March 2010 the
EastEnders (1985) star was seen
competing against thirteen other celebrities in the hit reality TV show
Dancing on Ice (2006).
Danniella, who didn't expect to make it past the first round, became a
favourite to win and even topped the leader boards in Week 10 after a
raunchy secretary dance routine on the ice. However she was eliminated
in the semi-final after facing a skate-off with
The Bill (1984) favourite
Gary Lucy.
to being the most famous cocaine addict in Britain, Danniella Westbrook
is no stranger to the attentions of the media. Born on 5 November 1973
in Walthamstow, the only daughter of Andy and Sue Westbrook, she knew
that her life would be far from just ordinary.
As a young child Danniella dreamed of becoming a champion show jumper,
but that all changed when she was just seven-years-old. For at that
early age Westbrook entered into the world of show business dreaming a
different dream; becoming the new
Jodie Foster. She began her career as a
child model, and the next few years saw her model children's
fashionware in various catalogues, enter numerous beauty contests and,
one of the highlights of her modelling career, become the face of the
high street store Tammy Girl. It wasn't long before stage school
beckoned in the form of The Sylvia Young
Theatre School, where she attended weekend classes and later became a
full-time student due to bullying at her local school.
Then on 19 July 1990 Westbrook became a household name as she appeared
as her most famous character, Sam Mitchell, on the highly-praised and
highly-watched BBC One soap opera:
EastEnders (1985). The timing
couldn't have been better as the sixteen-year-old had just been asked
politely to leave school and the future was uncertain, but as she
walked through the famous Albert Square in her quintessential costume
consisting of a tight sweater and denim hotpants she knew that she had
made it, and she knew that her life was about to change forever.
Danniella's original stint on the classic soap opera came to an end
just shy of three years, with her final scenes being aired on 4
February 1993. During this time Westbrook's character Sam had been
involved in highly-publicised storylines, including a now-famous
romance with mechanic Ricky Butcher (Sid Owen)
which resulted in a teenage elopement to Gretna Green, as well as her
aspirations to become a model, leading to a brief career in topless
modelling and culminating in an affair with a yuppie that led to her
downfall. Danniella had made the decision to quit
EastEnders (1985), feeling that
three years was enough to make her mark on television and the door was
left open for her to return at any time.
Away from EastEnders (1985),
Danniella's career was just beginning. She found herself inundated with
modelling work, and was also given the opportunity to work on the TV
series
Frank Stubbs Promotes (1993),
portraying a character completely opposite to Sam: moody teenager Dawn
Dillon. Working with esteemed actors
Timothy Spall and
Lesley Sharp, the show was a success and
proved that Westbrook had a future in acting outside of soap operas.
Unfortunately the show was axed in 1994 after just two seasons, and
Danniella decided to return to what she knew best:
EastEnders (1985).
Danniella's return scenes, which saw Sam's brothers Phil
(Steve McFadden) and Grant
(Ross Kemp) find her in Spain working in a
seedy club and bring her back home to Albert Square, were aired in July
1995. However Westbrook's second stint wasn't as fruitful as her
original. Behind the cameras Danniella's private life had begun to
spiral out of control due to her addiction to cocaine. She had started
taking cocaine before she had even entered
EastEnders (1985) the first time,
but by now it was starting to take its toll on the pretty young actress
and her work suffered extremely. Eventually a decision by the producers
was reached; to terminate Westbrook's one-year contract early.
Danniella's exit scenes, where she left Albert Square for Spain with
her new Spanish boyfriend Guillermo, were aired in March 1996 and her
eight months in the soap had seen her involved in a love triangle with
ex-husband Ricky and new girlfriend Bianca Jackson
(Patsy Palmer), as well as have a
relationship with Bianca's father David Wicks
(Michael French), and cause
plenty of trouble for the Mitchell family. Once again the door was left
open for her to return. However Danniella was facing a new role in her
life: motherhood.
On 23 November 1996, Danniella gave birth to her beloved son Kai.
Unfortunately, however, it wasn't the incentive to give up on cocaine
like her family and friends had hoped. During her pregnancy she had
used as much as five grams of cocaine per day, and it was a miracle
that the child had survived and not been left with any disability. She
took a hiatus from her acting career to raise her son, taking on a few
modelling jobs in order to keep them afloat, but her cocaine addiction
was spiralling out of control. Prior to her pregnancy she had spent a
week in The Priory, leaving because she felt that she wasn't an addict.
After constant drug abuse she was given an opportunity to redeem
herself when EastEnders (1985)
asked her back for a third stint, and Sam was once again seen returning
to Albert Square, this time on our screens in July 1999. However
Danniella was keeping another secret from the public. Her cocaine abuse
throughout the years had caused her septum to disintegrate, leaving her
with one gaping nostril instead of two. Once discovered by the press at
The British Soap Awards, the producers had no choice but to axe Sam
again before her one-year contract and in January 2000 her last scenes,
which saw Sam live with her friend in South London, were aired and two
years later Sam was recast with actress
Kim Medcalf in the role.
By this time Danniella was in serious need of help. She had alienated
all family and friends, and was now living with her son in a flat above
a social club, followed by a brief stint in a half-way hostel. She had
lost her looks, and was reduced to doing an odd shift in the social
club where she would be jeered at by punters. But one man had faith in
her: her boyfriend Kevin Jenkins. The businessman, and former
alcoholic, sought out the help Danniella needed and she attended a
rehabilitation centre in Arizona whilst pregnant with their child.
After spending months there she came out finally clean and prepared for
motherhood again. However heartbreak was to follow as the world became
aware of her antics and her son was taken into care. After a few months
apart Danniella was finally reunited with her son, and she later gave
birth to her daughter Jodie on 5 September 2001.
The recovering drug addict then forged herself a career in television
presenting following a disastrous stint on
I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! (2002)
in 2003. For the next three years she presented various shows, such as
ones discussing cosmetic surgery, before again taking a hiatus in 2006
in order to write her groundbreaking autobiography The Other Side of
Nowhere, which was released in April 2006. Danniella then continued to
raise her family before being given the chance of redemption: to return
as Sam Mitchell and finish her story on
EastEnders (1985). Convinced that
she would never again portray her beloved Sam after the recast,
Westbrook took the opportunity with both hands and, after nearly 10
years off screen, her returning scenes were aired on 4 September 2009.
However, Danniella's time in the spotlight was not over yet. From
January to March 2010 the
EastEnders (1985) star was seen
competing against thirteen other celebrities in the hit reality TV show
Dancing on Ice (2006).
Danniella, who didn't expect to make it past the first round, became a
favourite to win and even topped the leader boards in Week 10 after a
raunchy secretary dance routine on the ice. However she was eliminated
in the semi-final after facing a skate-off with
The Bill (1984) favourite
Gary Lucy.