Danniella Westbrook reveals she’s had the first of FOUR surgeries to repair ‘rotting’ face damaged by drugs
DANNIELLA Westbrook has completed the first stage of her surgery - which will see her face completely rebuilt.
The former Eastenders’ actress has been forced to have her jaw rebuilt after the bone began to wear away.
The 47-year-old posted a picture of the first part of her procedure on Instagram saying she would need three more operations to put things right.
She said: “Stage one of the four part journey of reconstructive surgery to rebuild my face and finally stop all the hate.”
A pal close to Danniella - who has battled a high profile drug addiction for two decades - said: “This is an incredibly important process for Danniella. It is more than just an operation.
"It is the start of a major new chapter in her life. She receives a lot of her hate on social media and is hoping this operation will correct many of the problems.”
Danniella first revealed three years ago that the bones are “rotting away” in her face after years of drug abuse and botched surgery, which led to osteoporosis.
She told how her left cheekbone is “wasting” away and she’s been left with screws instead of teeth, which cut her tongue as she speaks.
Her botched surgery means that some days she wakes up and the left side of her face is completely “sunken”. Other days her cheek swells up in agony as her bones are “decaying” and “weakened”.
“I just don’t look like myself any more,” she said in a 2018 interview.
“Obviously I’m going to age a lot faster anyway because of the drugs but I didn’t need this as well.”
Danniella rose to fame playing Sam Mitchell, the younger sister of EastEnders bad boys Phil and Grant, in 1990.
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But her time on the show was not without drama as Danniella's cocaine use started to affect her work.
She was written out of the popular show in 1996, but later went on to return another two times.
Danniella completed her latest stint in rehab in April 2019 and has now moved to the Welsh seaside to “feed her soul”.