Former EastEnders star Danniella Westbrook has disclosed that her cocaine addiction caused her to fall down the stairs on the set of the BBC soap, ultimately leading to her dismissal. In a candid interview on Terry Stone's Connection podcast, the 52-year-old actress detailed the extent of her substance abuse at the height of her fame.
Two ounces of cocaine per week
Westbrook estimated that she was consuming approximately two ounces of cocaine weekly during her peak on EastEnders. This equates to about 56 grams per week, a figure that left podcast host Terry Stone visibly shocked. She admitted to being paranoid about her addiction, often flushing the drug down the toilet to avoid detection.
The toll on her health was severe; she weighed just over six stone when she entered rehab. She noted that her ribs and vertebrae were visibly protruding, highlighting the physical damage caused by her addiction.
Incident on set and firing
Westbrook confessed that she used cocaine while working on the soap during her second stint in 2009. She recalled a specific incident where she suffered a cocaine-induced convulsion and fell from the top of the stairs in the Queen Vic pub set. "I had a cocaine convulsion, and I fell from the top of the stairs in the Vic, I just passed clean out," she said.
Her co-star Ross Kemp, who played Grant Mitchell, discovered her unconscious at the bottom of the stairs and signaled for help. However, she claimed the producer's response was unsympathetic: "The producer came over to the box and then said, 'Pick her up and make her work.'"
Westbrook stated that the BBC ultimately forced her to leave the show after discovering her drug use on set. "They had to get rid of me in the end, because I passed out once," she explained.
Long-term consequences
Westbrook has been open about her lifelong struggles with cocaine, which have necessitated facial reconstruction surgery due to the damage caused by the drug. The BBC declined to comment when approached by the Daily Star.
