Danniella Westbrook, 52, has disclosed that she is preparing for her fifth facial reconstruction surgery, a procedure she stated will involve taking a rib. The actress shared her candid feelings about her appearance, admitting, "I hate the way I look," during a recent appearance on Vanessa Feltz's Channel 5 show.
Westbrook is engaged in an 18-month journey to reconstruct her face, which has been significantly impacted by years of drug abuse, leading to issues such as a collapsed septum. Her most recent surgery addressed a hare lip that had become severely disfigured. She is scheduled for another surgery at the end of September, where a rib will be removed for the procedure.
"I did abuse myself quite badly at some point my life so that plays dividends. I'm just getting on with it," Westbrook said about her appearance. She expressed confidence in her surgeon's abilities to restore her features after years of reconstructive challenges. Westbrook has openly documented her progress with a series of specialist procedures.
Earlier this year, Westbrook underwent a full face, neck, and brow lift, along with lip and nose reconstruction, in Dubai. She is awaiting further surgeries, including the implantation of a metal cheekbone due to bone deterioration from osteoporosis. "Since I got older the osteoporosis has set in on my bones. So on this side of my face, I don't have any bone at all," she explained. "So they've got to rebuild all my bones. At the moment it's filler, but they've really got to do a metal bone. It's got to be put in there."
Westbrook indicated that she anticipates at least six more procedures. "Every two and a half, three months, I'm in surgery," she stated, noting that she recently had a facelift to realign her face. She also shared the impact of online trolling, mentioning that she has received hateful comments but also a significant amount of support.
Westbrook initially gained fame as a teenager on the soap opera EastEnders. Her contract was terminated in 1996 due to her cocaine use. She has previously spoken about the early onset of her addiction, attributing it to peer influence and a lack of guidance regarding the consequences of fame and drug use. She estimated her spending on drugs to be around £250,000.