Danniella Westbrook maps comeback with two more years of surgery after cocaine-damaged nose

Danniella Westbrook, the former EastEnders star, is outlining a staged comeback built on cosmetic surgery and new professional ventures. She says two more years of procedures, including a neck and face lift estimated at £45,000, are planned after years of battling cocaine-related damage to her nose. She also plans a trip to Dubai in the new year for the next major operation, followed by two to three minor procedures as part of a rehabilitation timeline that could stretch into a second year. Westbrook has begun laying the groundwork for a return to the public eye through a new talent agency and a documentary project that chronicles her surgical journey and recovery.

In 1990, at 16, Westbrook rose to fame as Sam Mitchell on EastEnders, quickly becoming a household name. But by the time a 2000 paparazzi photo captured the shattered state of her nose, the consequences of cocaine use had taken a visible toll. Reports say she snorted around 3 grams of cocaine a day and spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on the drug and on reconstructive efforts to rebuild her face. The nose image became a defining symbol of a career marked by excess and decline. Westbrook has described a period of extreme vulnerability, including experiences such as being kidnapped and gang-raped by drug dealers, and a struggle with suicidal thoughts while battling an addiction that left her frail and underweight. She has said she later found sobriety for years in Los Angeles, only to relapse in 2014. She later announced she was drug-free again in 2021 after seeking help in Spain.

Today, the star is channeling her experiences into new professional ventures. She has launched W.1 Elite, a talent agency intended to provide more support and safeguards for reality TV personalities and online influencers, including access to accounting services and on-call therapists. Westbrook emphasizes that her clients will not pay the price of fame that she herself has paid, and she envisions a roster of credible, long-lasting performers. She is also producing a documentary with a TV production company and police involvement to explore how long-term cocaine use damaged her face and what recovery can look like. The project, she says, will offer closure and a message of resilience, including a firm commitment to staying away from drugs.

On the personal front, Westbrook has said she is not currently in a relationship after splitting from boxer Chas Symonds in June, and she characterizes herself as married to her work and her recovery. She has described battles with depression and said she is taking antidepressants, with family support helping her through her crisis points. She credits the death of her father in 2024 as a turning point and notes improved relationships with her children, Kai and Jodie, after years of strain. She also says her life is now about helping others facing addiction and leaving a legacy for her children, while remaining hopeful about reestablishing her acting career if circumstances and health align. Westbrook has expressed a desire to return to EastEnders only if the show's storyline would allow her character to be killed off to finish what she started. Meanwhile, she continues to rehang mirrors in her home, part of a broader reclamation of her self-image and life after years of trauma from drug use.