Danniella: “Trolls forced me to have surgery”
With her confidence at an all-time low, Danniella Westbrook gets a face lift to boost her self-esteem – but surgeons warn it’s only a temporary fix
Looking painfully swollen with bruises covering her face, Danniella Westbrook was pictured last week in Poland after undergoing a seven-hour face lift.
Following the dramatic procedure, the actress, 43, updated fans on her progress in a newspaper interview last week. She said: “They are discharging me in a bit and then I have to have the stitches out of my eyes on Sunday before I fly home.
HURTING
“I woke up from the operation in so much pain, it was crazy how much I was hurting. There were drains in my face, throat and neck – basically everywhere! I’m dreading them being taken out, but on the whole I feel amazing so I can’t moan too much.”
Decades of drug and alcohol abuse have taken their toll on the former Eastenders actress’ looks – she was left with a hole in her nose after her septum famously collapsed in the late ’90s following years of cocaine abuse.
Speaking of her decision to go under the knife, alongside her best friend and Celebrity Big Brother star Christopher Maloney, Danniella said last week: “I’ve been so ill the last 18 months with my health and my teeth, then on top of that I’ve been trolled and ridiculed on social media and in the street… The pressure got so bad I had to go away and get surgery.”
Top surgeon Mark Ho-as-joe says: “Danniella is quite puffy and bruised after the surgery, but judging from her forehead stitches I think she’s had a MEC lift – a type of mini face lift – where the recovery is much quicker. She’s also had her upper eyelids done. This kind of work is less durable and, as with any procedure, it doesn’t last forever, she’ll need to have more work done in four to five years.”
A TOUGH YEAR
Mark adds: “In my opinion, she doesn’t look very good – I feel sorry for her as years of a bad diet, lack of sleep, smoking and drugs have damaged her looks.”
Danniella has had a notoriously troubled life. In the past year, she’s suffered a miscarriage and split from her toyboy George Arnold. She also had a cocaine relapse, and was hospitalised with septicaemia (blood poisoning) after a botched procedure to fit veneers. The star claims she was left homeless, too.
After another stint in rehab earlier this year in Spain, Danniella – who is mum to Kai, 20, and Jody, 15, said: “I am feeling amazing. I knew I had to do this for myself.”
But it appears that for Danniella, feeling amazing is going to be a longer journey. She’s thought to be planning more procedures, including a boob job and work on her teeth, Tweeting before her recent op: “Face lift, boobs and teeth sorted! About time after year of hell.”