Danniella Westbrook reveals how an EastEnders producer ordered Ross Kemp to ‘pick her up and make her work’ after she fell down the stairs of the Vic during a cocaine convulsion

Danniella Westbrook has claimed that an EastEnders producer ordered Ross Kemp to ‘pick her up and make her work’ after she fell down the stairs of the Queen Vic during a cocaine convulsion.

The actress, 51, first joined the soap aged 16 back in 1990 portraying Sam Mitchell – the only daughter of Peggy Mitchell (Barbara Windsor) and younger sister to Grant (Ross) and Phil (Steve McFadden).

However, while she went on to become the darling of Albert Square, her time on the soap was cut short thanks to her off-screen behaviour, with Danniella sacked in 1996 amid her high-publicised battle with drugs. 

In a new interview, Danniella reflected on her time as a cocaine addict and revealed the devastating impact her drug taking had on her work while at her lowest ebb.

Speaking on Criminal Connection podcast, Danniella admitted to ‘taking gear’ on the set during her second stint on the soap, resulting in her passing out and tumbling down the stairs- much to the ire of an unnamed producer.

She explained to host Terry Stone: ‘I was doing gear when I was on EastEnders for a long time, I was young. The second time I was back, I was doing gear. They had to get rid of me in the end because I passed out once. 

Danniella Westbrook has claimed that an EastEnders producer ordered Ross Kemp to ‘pick her up and make her work’ after she fell down the stairs of the Queen Vic during a cocaine convulsion

The actress, 51, first joined the soap aged 16 back in 1990 portraying Sam Mitchell – the only daughter of Peggy Mitchell ( Barbara Windsor ) and younger sister to Grant (Ross) and Phil (Steve McFadden) [Danniella, Ross and Steve pictured]

‘I had a cocaine convulsion and I fell from the top of the stairs in the Vic and I just passed clean out and Ross Kemp caught me at the bottom.

‘The producer came over the box and said “pick her up and make her work”.’

Looking back on the dark moments of her past, the TV personality admitted to taking 42 grams of cocaine a week and being dangerously thin before she was eventually taken to rehab.

She explained: ‘I was six stone two when they took me into rehab, you could literally count the vertebraes on my back. I was so ill trying to kill myself all the time’. 

MailOnline contacted an EastEnders representative who declined to comment.  

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

She returned in 1996 but her time was cut short when her off-screen behaviour got her sacked.

She returned again shortly after, but was axed again in 2000 after further disruptive behaviour, admitting she blew £100k on cocaine at the time.

While she went on to become the darling of Albert Square, her time on the soap was cut short thanks to her off-screen behaviour, with Danniella sacked in 1996 amid her high-publicised battle with drugs 

Speaking on Criminal Connection podcast , Danniella admitted to ‘taking gear’ on the set during her second stint on the soap, resulting in her passing out and tumbling down the stairs- much to the ire of an unnamed producer

She explained to host Terry Stone [pictured]: ‘I was doing gear when I was on EastEnders for a long time, I was young. The second time I was back, I was doing gear. They had to get rid of me in the end because I passed out once’

‘I had a cocaine convulsion and I fell from the top of the stairs in the Vic and I just passed clean out and Ross Kemp caught me at the bottom. The producer came over the box and said “pick her up and make her work”

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

She was back once more in 2016 for the storyline surrounding on-screen mother Peggy Mitchell’s death, which is to date her final appearance.

At the height of her use it was reported she would take up to five grams of cocaine a day, blowing close to £250,000 on the drug.

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

Daniella’s claims come after she revealed she was left completely broken by her high profile split from Brian Harvey. 

The former EastEnders star dated Brian, 50 from 1991-1995 at the height of his band East-17’s fame. 

Danniella first appeared in EastEnders in 1990 at the age of 16 and acted on the soap for three years. She returned in 1996 but her time was cut short when her off-screen behaviour got her sacked

She returned again shortly after, but was axed again in 2000 after further disruptive behaviour, admitting she blew £100k on cocaine at the time.

Danniella’s battle with drugs has been well-publicised, and she famously had her nose reconstructed after her septum collapsed from excessive cocaine use (pictured in 2001)

But in the first episode of BBC documentary Boybands Forever which aired last year, Danniella discussed the tole her former partner’s fame had on their relationship. 

In the three-part series, the actress revealed that Brian’s manager at the time, Tom Watkins, had urged her to split from the lead singer or it ‘wouldn’t end well’ for her because he ‘always wins’. 

But the star explained that they were in love and were trying to make it work but following the intense media scrutiny, the they were forced to go their separate ways. 

Daniella then revealed that the breakdown of their relationship sent her over the edge and increased her drug use in an attempt to cope with feeling ‘broken’. 

Daniella’s claims come after she revealed she was left completely broken by her high profile split from Brian Harvey 

The former EastEnders star dated Brian, 50 from 1991-1995 at the height of his band East-17’s fame

Daniella then revealed that the breakdown of their relationship sent her over the edge and increased her drug use in an attempt to cope with feeling ‘broken’ 

She said: ‘It went from being happy and being in love to everything being so stressful.

‘I think it was inevitable that we were going to split which subsequently sent me over the edge.

‘I made myself really ill. I took more and more drugs, I’d had enough. I was broken.’

The pair, who dated as teens in the early 1990s, had appeared to remain amicable in the years since, reuniting in 2015 to campaign against child abuse.