Danniella Westbrook

Danniella Westbrook (born 5 November 1973) is an English actress and television personality.

She is best known for portraying the role of Sam Mitchell in the BBC soap opera EastEnders (1990–1993, 1995–1996, 1999–2000, 2009–2010, 2016).

Westbrook had a much publicised cocaine addiction throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, which caused the complete erosion of her nasal septum.

Her audition was successful, and her first appearance on EastEnders was aired in July 1990.

Despite featuring in some prominent storylines, Westbrook decided to leave the soap in 1993 to take on another role.

In 1995, the producers at EastEnders asked her back to the soap a second time.

However, Westbrook was regularly using cocaine and it began to affect her work.

Due to her off-screen difficulties and her poor and tardy attendance on set, the producers of EastEnders terminated her contract and she was written out of the soap again in 1996.

In 1999, EastEnders' producers decided to reintroduce the character of Sam Mitchell.

Although they initially considered recasting the role with another actress, and despite all her past problems, they decided to give Westbrook another chance, and she was asked back for a third time.

During her time away, her heavy use of cocaine had completely eroded her nasal septum.

To hide this from the viewers, she was only filmed in ways that would keep her septum hidden from view.

However, Westbrook's drug taking had not ended, and in 2000, she was asked to leave EastEnders again.

In 2001, the character of Sam Mitchell was reintroduced, but due to Westbrook's personal issues, producers decided to recast.

Kim Medcalf became the second actress to play Sam Mitchell, appearing from 29 January 2002 until 17 November 2005 and from 18 April 2022 onwards.

Away from EastEnders, Westbrook has presented various television shows, and was also a contestant on the ITV show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in 2003.

She has released two autobiographies, The Other Side of Nowhere (2006) and Faith, Hope and Clarity (2013).

Westbrook was born in Walthamstow, London, and grew up in Loughton, Essex.

Her father Andy was a cab driver, and later a carpet contractor, while her mother, Sue, was a shop assistant.

Her parents were also successful property developers.

Westbrook has a younger brother, Jay, and an elder half-brother, Justin, from a previous marriage of her father's. She has commented "I came from a very loving family – you know, 2.4 children with a Volvo".

As a child, she had a keen interest in horse riding, but she has said that she has always had aspirations to be famous.

She started off modelling at the age of seven and then progressed to acting.

She joined the Sylvia Young Theatre School when she was eight, attending Saturday classes.

Throughout the early stages of her career, Westbrook attended a local state primary school, but she was bullied because of her television appearances, and after one bully cut off her hair, Westbrook's parents removed her from the school.

She was sent to a local private school, until, at the age of 12, her parents allowed her to attend Sylvia Young Theatre School as a full-time student, where Denise van Outen, Dani Behr and her future EastEnders co-stars, Nicola Stapleton and Samantha Janus, were among her contemporaries.

Westbrook started off modelling at the age of seven for the supermarket Asda.

She went on to launch Next's children's fashionware, became the face of high street store Tammy Girl, took part in a Weetabix campaign and featured in advertisements for Opel cars and Coca-Cola.

Later, she did modelling, alongside her younger brother Jay.

She progressed into acting, appearing as a child thief in Melvyn Bragg's London Programme and the West End production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

She appeared in the music video for the song "The Invisible Man" by Queen and had a minor role in Grange Hill.

At the age of eleven she appeared as an extra in BBC soap opera EastEnders, roller skating across the soap's setting of Albert Square.

At the time, her local paper published her picture with the punchline "who knows, one day she may be the show's star!".

At the age of 16, Westbrook was put forward for a much bigger role in EastEnders, Sam Mitchell (the younger sister of Phil and Grant).

In April 2009, the media confirmed that EastEnders bosses were reintroducing the character of Sam Mitchell, and that Westbrook would be reprising the role, not Kim Medcalf.

She competed in the fifth series of Dancing on Ice in 2010, with US Pairs Skater Matthew Gonzalez, and finished fourth in the competition.

Westbrook returned to screens in September 2009 for two temporary stints, departing once again on 7 January and 21 September 2010.

In 2013, Westbrook appeared in the soap opera Hollyoaks as Trudy Ryan.

In 2016, she took part in the seventeenth series of the reality show Celebrity Big Brother, in which she reached the final and finished in fifth place.

Westbrook again reprised the role of Sam for four episodes airing between 30 June and 8 July 2016.