She arrived in Albert Square in 1990 with blond hair and attitude. Danniella Westbrook as Sam Mitchell became an integral part of British telly. But behind the cameras, there was another tale unfolding. One of achieving fame too young, fighting too publicly, and the woman who wouldn’t give up.
She is best known for her role in EastEnders. The short-tempered Mitchell sister who wreaked havoc in Walford. What they may not realise, however, is how young she was when it all started.
The Early Days
Danniella, who was born in 1973, is from Loughton, Essex. She started her career as a child model for different magazines, catalogues and beauty contests. A career highlight was being the face of Tammy Girl.
Stage school followed. As a little girl with stars in her eyes, she dreamed the impossible. The difference? Faster than anyone could have imagined, her dreams came true.
Acting work came early. Small parts here and there. Then EastEnders called. And she was only sixteen when she made her debut as Sam Mitchell. Sixteen! Most children of that age are worried about taking GCSEs. Danniella was memorising scripts and dealing with fame.
The Mitchell Years
Sam Mitchell wasn’t just any character. She was explosive. Manipulative. Brilliant to watch. Danniella portrayed her with a blend of fragility and steel that simply made viewers love her as much as they despised her.
The part should have made her career. In many ways, it was. However, the true cost of early fame is not always immediately obvious.
She left EastEnders in 1993 and then returned in 1995. This pattern of leaving and returning would become familiar. Each comeback brought headlines. Each departure sparked speculation.
When Things Went Dark
Danniella Westbrook’s life story turned dark with a vengeance in the 90s. Her cocaine addiction became well-known, and it was brutal. The drug rotted her nasal septum completely away. Photographs depicting the damage were published in newspapers. Her trauma was playing out at a macro level.
The addiction ran from 1988 to 2001. She went to rehab to try to get over it. Think about that kind of age and what it means to fight something so destructive and be that famous. The tabloids, of course, made it worse.
This wasn’t just about addiction. The physical injuries were intense: splintered bones, a sunken jaw, and a shattered cheekbone. She’s been candid about how cocaine addiction impacted her health and face.
Personal Life in the Spotlight
Everything is more challenging when you’re famous: relationships and motherhood. She was only 23 when she had her first child, Kai, in 1996. Robert Fernandez, her then-boyfriend, was the father.
They lived as a couple for two years before parting ways in 1998. Who can be a mum while undergoing addiction battles and scrutiny from the tabloids daily? It’s a tough ask for anyone to do so.
Her romantic life was in the British tabloids almost 24/7. Her first husband was Ben Morgan, and they tied the knot in 1998. However, they parted ways after just three years, in 2001, the same year her divorce was granted.
A few months later, on 27 December 2001, she married a wealthy businessman, Kevin Jenkins. Her daughter, Jodie, was born on September 5, 2001. They were husband and wife for over a decade; nevertheless, they called it quits in 2014.
Shortly after that, she got engaged to Tom Richards in April 2014; their relationship lasted four months. She briefly engaged Alan Thomason, but their relationship didn’t work out. The toll on her children has been heartbreaking. Danniella and her daughter have not spoken for a long period.
Jodie, her daughter, has even moved in with her father to have a stable parent, as Danniella has had issues with addiction for the better part of two decades. In 2023, Jodie, at age 22, blocked her on social media, and there aren’t any signs they have spoken since then.
Her boy Kai, on the other hand, has a loving and caring attitude toward his mother, regardless of her numerous relapses. All of her relationships were closely scrutinised. Everything she went through was on the front pages. Privacy wasn’t a luxury she knew.
Fighting Back
Recovery isn’t a straight line. Danniella proved that repeatedly. She would get clean, relapse, and get clean again. And each time, the media looked on and made it all a test.
But she kept fighting. That’s the side of Danniella Westbrook’s life story people can lose sight of. When drug addicts have lost their face and their job, and their loved ones, their bridges are burnt. She stayed visible. Kept trying. Refused to give up completely.
Reality TV and Comebacks
Television gave her second chances. Dancing on Ice back in 2010, and she came fourth. Celebrity Big Brother in 2016 and finished fifth in the final. These were not entertainment shows for her. They were comebacks. Opportunities to demonstrate that she was still out there, still fighting.
Every appearance reminded people why they had liked her originally. The talent was still there. The personality that made Sam Mitchell so compelling hadn’t disappeared.
The Surgery Journey Continues
In June 2025, Danniella had surgery in Poland to rebuild her nose bridge using cartilage from her rib. The destruction to the cartilage, from cocaine use, was so complete that there was hardly any of it remaining between her nose and her ears with which to work. She went under the knife for a facelift and facial reconstruction with Europe Surgery, emerging from Wroclaw airport with her face still swollen but determined to share her journey publicly.
In September 2025, she shared pictures that revealed the results of her surgery three months later, and her transformation looked very impressive. She looked healthier, more confident and like she found a real peace with herself.
In early December 2025, she was taken to the hospital with extreme breathing problems after her septum collapsed. She spent three days on a breathing machine after doctors found these were the result of three holes in the roof of her mouth, two that were the size of 5p coins, which had occurred after a botched repair surgery carried out in 2016.
The situation was so dire that she pulled out of filming Tales From The Trap, a new show about county lines drug gangs, which would have been her return to acting. The part has since been recast. Showing she’s still determined to move forward, Danniella has also been sharing details of going to Narcotics Anonymous meetings and working on her recovery.
Social Media Presence
Danniella Westbrook has an account on Instagram, with 172K followers. You can also find her on Cameo.
The EastEnders Question
Although Kim Medcalf currently plays Sam Mitchell on EastEnders (returned for another run in December 2025), Danniella craves the chance to slip back into the character which put her name on the map.
Venting in interviews, she’s been open about how much she’d appreciate a second chance to play Sam, but EastEnders’ producers haven’t given any signs that they’re interested in bringing her back.
The role of Sam Mitchell remains with Kim Medcalf, who has made the character her own over multiple stints since 2002.
Where She Stands Today
Danniella Westbrook is still here. Still acting when she can. Still talking about her experiences. At 52 years old, she’s shown remarkable resilience despite the recent health scares and setbacks. The physical scars of her addiction are still visible, but so is her resolve to keep moving forward.
She’s the same girl who walked into Albert Square back in 1990. How could she be? But she’s lived through things that would have shattered most people. That counts for something.
The Loughton kid who wanted nothing more in the world than fame got that and more. But she’s still standing. Still talking. Still proving that survival means something different to everyone.
