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Danniella Westbrook returned to EastEnders for the fourth time in September, making an immediate impact on Albert Square as the feisty Sam Mitchell. The soap star's troubled private life during her youth was lived out in the tabloid press, as she achieved notoriety for her turbulent relationship with Brian Harvey, her brief appearance on I'm A Celebrity... and her battles with cocaine addiction. Keep reading to find out ten facts that you probably didn't know about the Walthamstow actress.
1. Danniella was born in Walthamstow, East London on November 5, 1973. Her father Andy was a taxi driver and her mother Sue was a shop assistant.
2. Westbrook is one of the many celebrities to have come from the Sylvia Young Theatre School. Other stars that attended the establishment include Billie Piper, Danni Behr, Denise Van Outen, Emma Bunton and the Appleton sisters.
3. Danniella's first taste of fame came at the age of 7 when she was used as a model by Asda. She went on to work on campaigns for Next, Tammy Girl, Weetabix, Opel cars and Coca-Cola.
4. She may have a bad girl reputation, but one of Danniella's favourite hobbies as a child was the sweet and innocent pastime of horseriding.
5. Westbrook made her debut as Sam Mitchell on EastEnders at the age of 16. However, this wasn't the first time she had appeared on the show. The star had been given an extra role in Albert Square as a roller-skating girl when she was just 11.
6. At the 2000 British Soap Awards, Westbrook was infamously photographed with the septum from her nose missing. While the picture brings back bad memories for the soap actress, she is pleased that the image is used by anti-drug campaigners. "That picture did a lot of good for anti-drug campaigns and was a wake-up call for lots of people who'd taken drugs but it was ten years ago," she says.
7. Danniella's problems with drugs are well documented, but did you know that she actually first took cocaine at the tender age of 14?! Seven years later, she was wasting £400 a day on the white powder.
8. Westbrook is best known for her work as Sam Mitchell, but she's turned down some pretty big job offers as well. She declined parts in Bad Girls, Footballers' Wives and the short-lived Crossroads revival.
9. So what does Westbrook, the former teenage party animal and tabloid hell-raiser, like to do on the weekends these days? "I'm a bit of a geek who listens to Radio 4 and puts her kids' shoes in the Aga to keep them warm in winter - that sort of girl," she says. "Weekends are spent watching Strictly or having a barbecue. There's no temptation with drugs because I'm not in an environment where they are."
10. Don't tell anyone down Albert Square, but Westbrook is actually quite a big follower of a rival soap. "I'm a big Corrie fan," she admits. "It didn't go down too well when I was working on EastEnders."
