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Danniella Westbrook has revealed she will be paying a “huge” tribute to her late friend Barbara Windsor, as she stars in the adults-only West End pantomime, Sinderfella.
For the first time since her EastEnders comeback in 2016, the 48-year-old is returning to acting. .
In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, Danniella praised the “cheeky” Peggy Mitchell actress and discussed how she will draw inspiration from the “little sex symbol” for her latest daring project in December.
EXCLUSIVE: Danniella Westbrook has revealed she will pay a ‘huge’ tribute to her late friend Barbara Windsor as she stars in the adults-only West End pantomime, Sinderfella
She began: ‘The last time I acted was six years ago, but I said earlier this year, just three months ago on This Morning, that my return would be in theater and preferably in the West End. And as if by magic, my agent got me the job!
“I’ve played Fairy Mother before, but not since Barbara passed away, so I’ll give her a big wink that night.
“We’ll have plenty of little allusions and things like that. For me personally, it would just be fun to do that.
“I play the fairy mother and Barbara always has, so it’s a great honor for me to be placed in that position.”
Tragic: Peggy Mitchell icon Barbara died in December 2020 at age 83 after battling Alzheimer’s disease (pictured, right, with Danniella, left, in 2002)
The Walthamstow native worked with the Carry On icon on EastEnders in the 1990s and 2000s, starting when Danniella was just 21.
She gushed, “I’ve learned so much from Bar. Mostly about acting, but in general how to interact with people, audience members and people who support us in our work and our journey. She taught me to be humble and to be true to myself.
“Barbara was always sassy and a little sex symbol, you know, a little bundle of fun. She was our little pocket rocket and we loved her dearly.
‘She is greatly missed, both in the theater world and in the television world. Everyone misses Barbara Windsor and she will always be a big, big part of my life.”
In her element: The 48-year-old is ready to play the Fairy Godmother — a role her former co-star was famous for (Barbara pictured in 2010)
Danniella has left little to the imagination in her recent social media snaps, teasing her character in the 18+ panto — written by Big Brother’s Simon Gross — perhaps just as raunchy.
She said: ‘I don’t know what outfit Simon has planned for this year, but I’m sure some of them will be a little daring.
“I’ve got other bits and pieces coming up, and that’s what those Instagram posts were really for, but that’s a whole different story.”
The ex I’m a Celebrity… Get me out of here! campmate is currently set to star in Sinderfella for just one night on December 12, but has revealed she’s in talks to sign up for further dates due to high demand.
Racy: Danniella has left little to the imagination in her recent social media snaps, teasing that her character in the 18+ panto can be just as raunchy
She said, “Right now the only date I have there is the 12th, but we have a few other dates that we’re talking about and we haven’t released them yet.
“Literally, the twelfth is almost sold out. We just released it two days ago. We haven’t released our other dates yet, but I think we will be in the next two weeks.”
Based on the fairytale classic Cinderella, the upcoming drag production is “not for the faint of heart or the squeamish,” as described in the ad.
Sinderfella will run from December 9 to 22 at The Prince of Wales, Dury Lane in London.
Exciting: She’s currently set to star in Sinderfella for just one night on December 12, but has revealed she’s in talks to sign up for further dates due to high demand