Danniella Westbrook has said that she would have likely ended up dead had her drug problems not been exposed.
The actor, 48, was asked about her experience with drug taking whilst being interviewed by former politician Nigel Farage, 58, on his GB News show Talking Pints.
She recalled having "already had issues" before finding fame playing Sam Mitchell on EastEnders in the 1990s, but said: "Really the media saved me if anything, more than once."
"By putting me all over the papers, by exposing me in a sense, [...] I had to do something with my life, otherwise I would've ended up dead," she explained in the interview.
Danniella said that she had drug issues before being in the public eye, but acknowledged that such problems became "heightened" once she joined the BBC soap in 1990.
She further commented: "I didn't have as much money [pre-fame] as I did when I was working on a big show."
During the recent interview with Farage, the actor was asked what prompts a person to "turn it around" when they have developed such problems with excessive drug taking.
She responded by stating that the individual needs to want to change their lives, rather than it being motivated by family or friends. She said: "Only I can turn this around."
Danniella said her family "couldn't comprehend it," with her recalling that it had put her mother under significant stress, worrying about the possibility of her daughter dying.
Asked how she managed to turn it around, she said that she was put in a meeting and "got where [she] needed to be," with her adding that she was ready to change her life.
She recalled: "I think I was just done. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired." The actor said that recovery should be motivated by the individual, not for loved ones.
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Danniella said that you "can't do it" for your children or your career, with her stating in the interview that you have to "put your recovery first" in such circumstances.
Talking Pints with Nigel Farage continues tonight (April 26) from 7pm on GB News. The channel is available on Sky, Freeview, Virgin Media and other providers.
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