Danniella Westbrook’s high and lows amid bid to save collapsing face

She underwent a series of procedures in Turkey last month in a desperate attempt to save her collapsed face.

Actress Danniella Westbrook, 49, underwent a thread lift, liposuction in her cheeks and lips, fat grafting on her chin and her jawline was etched after her septum originally collapsed from excessive drug use in 2002.

The former Celebrity Big Brother housemate had wanted to have the reconstruction done for seven years, but couldn’t find a surgeon willing to operate because her septum had completely collapsed.

She previously revealed she needed five surgeries to correct her ‘collapsing’ face due to a previous cocaine addiction and osteoporosis, and planned to have it done on the NHS, but Danniella says she paid for the surgery all by herself , despite being offered freebies from clinics around the world.

Danniella’s battle with drugs has been widely publicized and it is famous that her nose was reconstructed after her septum collapsed from excessive cocaine.

At the height of her use, she reportedly used up to five grams of cocaine a day, wasting nearly £250,000 on the drug.

The star has since embarked on multiple rehab to battle her demons – revealing she was finally clean in June 2021, after attending a clinic in Mijas, Spain.

Danniella first appeared in EastEnders in 1990 at the age of 16 and starred in the soap for three years.

She returned in 1996, but her time was cut short when her off-screen behavior got her fired.

She returned shortly after, but was suspended again in 2000 after further disruptive behaviour, admitting to blowing £100,000 worth of cocaine at the time.

The role was recast between 2002 and 2005 and played by Kim Medcalf, but Danniella returned to the role again in 2009 to 2010.

She was back again in 2016 for the storyline surrounding the on-screen death of mother Peggy Mitchell, which is her last appearance to date.

Danniella previously underwent a rib insertion procedure in 2018 after osteoporosis rotted away her cheekbones and gums and, having received lip filler and Botox for the past year, in addition to surgery on her face, she hopes to get back to her best.

Following her recent surgery in Turkey, Danniella was seen wearing thick bandages around her head and nose as she recovered in Portugal.

The television personality was shocked after being hospitalized again hours after landing in Portugal due to a health hazard.

Taking to her Instagram Stories, she wrote, “Only I was able to land back in Portugal after surgery and then end up in hospital.

“The pain I have experienced is unreal, the most terrifying few days. Literally need it like a hole in your head.”

When Danniella first woke up after the lengthy procedure, she said she looked “like she’d done 10 rounds with Tyson Fury.”

She previously said she’s wanted the reconstructive surgery for seven years, tellingly The sun: ‘I was very scared. My mother and my son Kai were constantly on the phone – I made a will before I left and my son is the executor of it.

‘But luckily I’m still here and I came through the other side. Someone is looking over me. I looked like I went 10 rounds with Tyson Fury.

“But the swelling actually subsided very quickly. I am already happy with the results.’

Danniella previously revealed she needed five surgeries to correct her “collapsing” face due to a previous cocaine addiction and osteoporosis.

She told The Sun: ‘I’ve been trying to get someone to do it for the past seven years but they said no in case it failed and they got cut.

‘Plastic surgeons wanted £500,000 to change my face, so I thought I’d never get it done. It was only because I went to intensive care before Christmas.

“I couldn’t breathe because I had a cold. There was a build up of fluid and after falling asleep I couldn’t wake up properly and ended up in ICU.

“I was sent to Aintree Hospital in Liverpool and that’s only because I was in front of the right doctors, otherwise I would be waiting to find someone. “They’re doing it for me now under the NHS.”