Ex-EastEnders star Danniella Westbrook is to have around £500,00 of facial surgery to repair her ravaged face.
The surgery, set to be done on the NHS, will rebuild her damaged cheekbones and reform her collapsed nose.
She was unable to get the work done privately because of the whopping cost, but will now have the surgery after spending Christmas in intensive care.
The surgery will involve part of her rib being inserted into her face.
After years of drug and alcohol addiction, Danniella has recently turned her experiences into something positive by helping to set up a holistic wellness centre.
It was announced in January that Danniella's old character Sam Mitchell was returning to EastEnders, but would be played by Sam Metcalf, who originally took over the role from Danniella.
So what happened to Danniella's face that means she now needs surgery?
What happened to Danniella Westbooks's face?
Danniella's face changed due to a cocaine and alcohol addiction that led to the collapse of her septum.
Her cheekbones began to break down from snorting cocaine laced with a tranquilliser more typically used on cattle.
Danniella told the Sun: "Plastic surgeons wanted £500,000 to change my face, so I thought I was never going to get it done. It was only because I went into intensive care before Christmas.
"I couldn't breathe because I had a cold. There was a build-up of fluid and after I fell asleep I couldn't wake up properly and ended up in ICU."
Why does Danniella Westbrook need surgery?
Danniella needs surgery for facial reconstruction caused by years of drink and drug binges, after the breakdown of her face led to health problems.
She said she spent Christmas in intensive care: "That's why I'm doing this. I need this surgery to survive. It's not for vanity, this is about my health. It hampers my lifestyle on a day-to-day basis."
The actress was extremely complimentary of the care she has received in Liverpool's Aintree Hospital and said it was "best care in the country".
Her condition has sadly led to mean comments about her online, despite a tough battle with mental health problems.
"People message me, saying, ‘You’re so ugly, you’re a junkie, you should just go and kill yourself’," she revealed.
Danniella has already had some reconstructive surgery and suffers from osteoporosis, causing her cheekbones and gums to rot away.
By 1999, her drug addiction meant her septum rotted away and her EastEnders scenes had to be filmed from above to hide her nostrils.
She eventually had to leave the soap as her partying and addiction took over her life. An infamous picture of her at the British Soap Awards captured just how much of her nose had rotted away from the drugs.
Trying to get on top of the problem was difficult and in 2018, she confessed that a botched surgery in 2015 had led to horror complications. "I just don’t look like myself any more," she told the Mirror.
She said: "I did nearly die, I had two lots of IV drips in each side and then they took all my teeth out again and gave me this denture, which has broken my heart because I didn’t need all of my teeth out in the first place."
Danniella revealed she sometimes wakes up to the left side of her face being "sunken" and more surgery was required in 2018 to repair the damage. At the time, the actress said she had to drink twelve pints of milk a day to strengthen her bones and make sure part of her skull could be used to make a plate for her face.
The former EastEnders actress is now training to be a therapist and holistic healer.
Speaking to The Morning After, she said: "I am actually going off to work at a holistic centre in Harrogate. A friend of mine has opened one, they have sound healing, reiki, therapists, all different stuff."
"I think for us as well, It's all about getting that buzz, whether that's a buzz from audience reaction, a buzz from seeing somebody else thriving or growing, it's actually so much better than the buzz you would ever get from a drug. So much better."
