It has been reported in the UK tabloid newspapers that Danniella Westbrook is back doing drugs. The 40 year old is best known for her portrayal of Sam Mitchell in the TV series Eastenders, and she has appeared in I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here, Grange Hill, Hollyoaks, and Dancing on Ice. Her problems with drugs was headline news back in 2000 after she lost her septum due to excessive cocaine use – many were also shocked to hear that she admitted to using 5g of cocaine per day while pregnant.
Danniella’s Rise to Celebrity Status
Danniella first appeared on TV at a very early age – her first role was in an Asda ad when she was only seven. At age 16, she became a well-known face across the UK as she began appearing in the soap opera Eastenders, in which she played Sam Mitchell – she has appeared in 270 episodes since 1990. Her last major role was in Hollyoaks last year (2013) when she played a character called Trudy Ryan for 13 episodes.
The Drug Problems of Danniella Westbrook
Danniella first began using cocaine at age 14; apparently, she was offered the drug at a club and loved the way it made her feel. Once she started to become famous at age 16, it made it much easier for her to get her hands on the drug, meaning that using cocaine became a regular habit. She admitted that for years, using cocaine felt like a glamorous thing to be doing and just seemed to be part of what it meant to be a celebrity. She believes that she has spent at least a quarter of a million pounds on cocaine over the years; in her early twenties, she was spending almost £3000 per week on her habit, which is a staggering amount of money. The glamour of using cocaine began to wear off, with the lowest points coming when Danniella was gang raped by a group of drug dealers (something she was only able to admit in 2013).
Rumours of Danniella’s fondness for the white powder were around from her early Eastenders days, but it wasn’t until she lost the septum from her nose in 2000 that the extent of her problem became public knowledge. She did go into rehab, but on appearances on TV during this time, it was obvious that she was still high on coke; she later admitted that she had continued using. By 2002, she was able to quit once and for all and, for the last 12 years, it looked as if Danniella had managed to get her life back on track.
Has Danniella Westbrook Relapsed?
The news that Danniella has relapsed is being reported in tabloid newspapers like the Daily Mirror. Apparently, she says she was offered some coke she decided to just go ahead and take it. The relapse happened after she split up from her boyfriend; it is also being reported that she has become romantically involved with a drug dealer. She says that the last year has been incredibly tough for her, which is why she has been using drugs again, although she insists that she is only using cocaine occasionally.
How Could Danniella Westbrook Relapse?
Danniella managed to escape the downward spiral of cocaine abuse 12 years ago, and she was incredibly lucky not to have died due to her drug abuse. She has already lost so much due to this substance, so how could she possibly risk losing anything more? To those who have never been addicted to alcohol or drugs, it will seem that her behaviour is pure madness, but those who have been addicted will understand how easy it is to fall into this trap again.
Danniella says that she did not plan to relapse, which is what is so scary about the whole story. She has been clean of the drug for so long, yet somebody offered it to her on the wrong day, and her automatic response was just to say yes. The reality is that individuals who have been addicted are always going to be at risk of relapse no matter how long they have been sober – and it only takes one minute of weakness to lose everything that has been gained due to sobriety.
It is vital that Danniella is able to return to recovery as soon as possible or she will be in real danger. We have had some terrible tragedies during the past 12 months with celebrities that had relapsed after a long period of sobriety, including Robin Williams and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Danniella might feel that she is in control at the moment, but the reality is that once a person has been addicted, it is highly unlikely that they can ever really regain control – although denial can make it seem as if this is the case.
