Former EastEnders star Danniella Westbrook was rushed to hospital after the actress began facing breathing difficulties late last week, which resulted in her pulling out of work
Danniella Westbrook has been rushed to the hospital. The former EastEnders actress is said to have faced breathing difficulties on Friday and was forced to pull out of filming.
The actress, 52, had been scheduled to be on set to film her latest role in Tales From The Trap, but the role has now been recast due to ongoing health issues for the actress. Danniella, who has not been in a film or TV role since 2016, has been open in the past about her health struggles.
Her character, a gun-selling gangster, marked her return to acting, but she has now been replaced by Kim Tiddy, who previously appeared in Slow Horses and ITV legal drama, The Bill. Danniella was set to star alongside former Love Island contestant, Liv Hawkins.
But sources explained that due to her ill health, she was left with no option but to withdraw from the project. “Danniella was rushed into hospital on Friday with breath difficulties, which meant she had to pull out of filming Tales From The Trap,” a source said.
They added to the Daily Mail: “She was due to make her movie comeback as a gangster granny selling AK47s to the gangsters. It’s really disappointing as I am sure everyone was looking forward to seeing her play that part.”
The source explained that bosses were relieved that they were able to secure Kim as a replacement for the role. Adam Deacon will also appear in the production. A spokesperson for Danniella told the Mirror: “Danniella has made the difficult but necessary decision to put her health first.
“While she was grateful for the opportunity to join the project, the role she was cast in consisted of a single scene at the end of the film—less than a minute of screen time and only one page of dialogue. After careful consideration, she felt it was in her best interest to focus on her well-being at this time. She wishes the production team every success moving forward and looks forward to returning to work when the timing aligns with her health and readiness.”
Danniella was last on screens in 2016, when she appeared on Celebrity Big Brother, of which she finished in third place. She was just 16 when she found fame on EastEnders, playing notorious Sam Mitchell, but she was later forced out of the show due to her ongoing addiction struggles. Since then, she has made a return before the character was eventually replaced by Kim Medcalf, who had originally taken over from Danniella in 2002.
Despite her lack of on-screen credentials in recent years, Danniella has become a staple in Christmas pantomime, having played various roles, including the Wicked Queen in Sleeping Beauty, and Fairy Godmother in the 2022 production of Sinderfella.
However, this didn’t appear to bother Danniella too much as she set her sights on helping others in the industry. Next. year, Danniella will launch her own talent management firm and already has a string of famous faces on her roster.
Speaking to the Daily Star earlier this year, she said: “People are always asking me for advice about the industry, so this is a natural progression for me. I’ve been dying to do it for years. I’ve got a real passion for it. I’m 51 now, and this is something that will take me into my older years.”
She added: “I don’t think there is enough help available to people in this industry. I’ve looked at all the things that were missing when I started. There will be an accountant that the clients can use. We also have a therapist who is on call at all times.”
And now that she has her own talent firm, Danniella is also setting her sights on I’m A Celebrity All Stars. The actress shared: “I would love to go back in now that I’m in a different place and mindset. I was a bit of a diva, a bit of a princess, very spoilt when I went in there before.
“But now I’ve gone through everything that I’ve been through, I think it’d be very different. At the end of the day, I’ve lived in my car, so why can’t I live in the jungle again?”
The Mirror has approached Danniella’s spokesperson for comment.
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