I used to watch EastEnders in the 90s when Sam Mitchell was huge. Danniella was stunning and having an absolute ball everywhere you looked. Then I saw those pictures in The Sun, and to be honest, it made me feel sick. So, really, what happened to Danniella Westbrook’s nose was not “some celebrity news” – but absolutely horrific.
My own cousin struggled with addiction, though not in such a public manner. Watching Danniella Westbrook today discussing what she’s been through, I can’t help but think how brave she is. It takes a lot of courage to discuss everything you have been going through with millions watching.
How It All Started
Danniella Westbrook‘s age is 51, as she was born in Walthamstow, London, on November 5, 1973. Began modelling for Asda at seven, did adverts for Coca-Cola, and attended Sylvia Young Theatre School. She got a role in EastEnders at 16 and bang, she’s famous.
But she has confessed to starting to use cocaine at 14. Fourteen years old. She started going to the clubs after being abused as a child. EastEnders made her a star and rich, but it also placed her in the heart of London’s 1990s party scene. Cocaine was absolutely everywhere back then.
When Things Went Horribly Wrong
The Daniella Westbrook nose problem didn’t happen overnight. Years of heavy cocaine use did it. At one point, she’s said, she was doing £400 of drugs a day. Four hundred quid. Every single day.
Cocaine’s acidic, right? When you’re constantly snorting it, it eats through the cartilage in your nose. The septum, which is the part that sits between your nostrils, just gets destroyed. In her case, it completely eroded. Just gone.
When did Danniella Westbrook’s nose collapse? The damage was taking place through the 90s and into the early 2000s, but around 2000, it became very obvious. Photos came out that showed her nose had essentially caved in. Instead of having two nostrils, there was this gaping hole. It looked like shite, and the papers went bananas over it.
Imagine dealing with addiction, your face falling apart, and millions of people staring at photos of you every week. Brutal doesn’t even cover it.
EastEnders kept giving her chances but eventually had to let her go. She wasn’t showing up or was showing up off her face. Her addiction was completely out of control.
The Surgery Nightmare
Here’s where it gets messier. She’s undergone a gazillion surgeries just trying to rebuild what those drugs tore down.
First off, surgeries attempted to reconstruct her septum and columella; that’s the bit between your nostrils. But you can’t fix that kind of damage with just a single surgery. The structural support was gone. Rebuilding a nose where there’s no foundation? Nearly impossible.
She’s spent more than £500,000 on facial reconstruction treatments. Half a million trying to make it right. And it’s not about vanity; if your septum’s gone, you can’t breathe properly. Constant infections. Affects everything.
She underwent major reconstructive surgery in June 2025, during which the cartilage from her rib was used to rebuild her nose bridge. Her actual rib. They had to because there wasn’t enough cartilage between her nose and ears. That’s how bad the damage was.
Posted photos three months later in September, and she looked loads better. Danniella Westbrook now and then photos are like two different people. Not just the surgery – she looks healthier overall. Less haunted.
More Than Just Her Nose
It wasn’t only her nose. Cocaine destroyed her entire face. Her cheekbones started crumbling. The bones were literally rotting.
She’s a former patient of Europe Surgery and has undergone facial reconstruction in Poland. Full facelift and facial reconstruction in addition to all the nose work. Walked out of Wroclaw airport with her face still very swollen and no makeup to tell everyone what she was going through.
Some surgeries went wrong, too. Travelled to Turkey for a thread lift and fat transfer, which she described as a “nightmare” and said the botched surgery almost killed her. She even said she “wanted to die” after one procedure.
The tabloids have been vicious. Every surgery, every setback, is photographed and picked apart. There was this awful moment on This Morning in 2022 when her nose was bleeding during the interview. People were commenting about it on Twitter while she sat there talking about her recovery. How do you cope with that?
The Addiction Battle
She’s been in and out of rehab more times than one can count. Gets clean, seems better, then relapses. Over and over.
She appeared on Jeremy Kyle in 2019 and confessed to taking cocaine four days before. Her mate, Jeremy, offered to pay for rehab. She spent three months there.
She is honest about the fact that addiction doesn’t simply go away. You don’t get “cured” and go on. You battle it every day. Goes to meetings of Narcotics Anonymous, sees therapists, and works on recovery every day.
What is striking to me is how she’s used her platform to discuss addiction the right way. Did Cosmetic Surgery Live with Vanessa Feltz. Did a Channel 4 documentary called “Danniella Westbrook: My Nose and Me“, where she talked about everything. Written books about her struggles.
That takes serious guts. Most people would hide after going through what she has. She’s put it all out there, probably hoping it’ll stop someone else from going down the same path.
Where She Is Now
Danniella Westbrook Instagram (@danniellawestbrook_73), has more than 171 K followers. She mainly posts about her life, her recovery, and her kids. She has two kids – Kai’s 28, and Jodie’s 23. They have stuck by her through thick and thin.
What is Danniella Westbrook net worth? Danniella’s net worth is believed to be in the region of £500,000. She earned money through her roles in TV shows such as I’m a Celebrity in 2003, Dancing on Ice in 2010, where she placed fourth, and Celebrity Big Brother in 2016.
Has been married twice; to Ben Morgan in 1998 (ended in less than a year) and Kevin Jenkins from 2001 to 2014. Engaged a few times since. Currently she’s with boxer Charlie Symonds, who supported her through the latest surgery.
The June 2025 surgery seems to have been a turning point. Been posting about feeling more confident, getting on with life. Doing meetings and work. In one post she mentioned heading to a Narcotics Anonymous session after a busy day, which shows she’s still working on recovery.
The Truth About It All
What strikes me most is the persistence. She keeps getting knocked down and keeps getting back up. That latest surgery in June? She’s still trying, still fighting to fix what got broken years ago.
Recovery isn’t a straight line. It’s messy and full of setbacks. Danniella’s had plenty. But she’s shown it’s possible to keep going even when it feels impossible.
Her story’s been played out publicly for 30-odd years. We’ve watched her rise, fall, struggle, recover, relapse, and recover again. Been uncomfortable to watch. But it’s also been incredibly human.
The updates from September 2025 show Danniella looking genuinely happy. The rib cartilage surgery seems to have worked. Been posting about work, recovery meetings, and moving forward.
Whether she’ll stay on this path? Can’t tell you. Addiction’s tricky. But right now she seems good. After everything, that’s worth something.
Danniella Westbrook’s nose has become a shorthand for what cocaine can do to you, physically. But behind that phrase there’s a flesh-and-blood human being who has already been through hell and is still here, still working to put one foot in front of the other.
Her Instagram is decidedly upbeat lately. Conversations about gratitude, second chances, and the support she gets. But that’s something, for a woman who has been through what she has.
I don’t know where she goes from here. She is 51; for more than half her life, she has dealt with the fallout of a teenage addiction. That’s sobering.
But she’s refused to give up, despite having every reason to. Being honest about her struggles in a way that’s helped other people. Turned her trauma into something that might prevent someone else from making the same mistakes.
Every time she’s had another surgery, every time she’s talked about recovery, she’s shown what not giving up looks like. Even when your face is falling apart. Even when the whole country’s watching. Even when hiding would be easier.
That’s the real story. Not the shocking photos or headlines. It’s about someone who made terrible choices, suffered horrific consequences, and is still fighting. That takes more courage than most of us will ever need.
Honestly? Good on her for keeping going. After everything, she’s earned a bit of peace.
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