Danniella Westbrook thinks Ross Kemp helped to save her life on the set of \'EastEnders\'.
The 46-year-old actress - who starred as Sam Mitchell in the BBC soap - has revealed she collapsed on the set of the show at the height of her cocaine addiction, and her co-star insisted she received medical help before they restarted filming.
Speaking to the Daily Star newspaper, Danniella - who has also starred on \'Hollyoaks\' - explained: "I passed out from the top of the stairs at the Queen Vic and just collapsed all the way down and Ross caught me.
Ross Kemp Returns to EastEnders as Grant Mitchell
"The producer went, \'Pick her up and make her work - we need to get this in the bag\'.
"Ross looked into the camera and went, \'Get her a doctor - this kid is dying. I\'m standing down.\'"
Danniella also received support from Barbara Windsor, who played her on-screen mum Peggy Mitchell, and the rest of the \'EastEnders\' crew.
She recalled: "Barbara Windsor went, \'I\'m standing down\'. And the crew went, \'We\'re standing down\'. And they called me an ambulance."
Danniella battled drug abuse issues throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.
And looking back at her time on the BBC soap, the actress admitted she wasn\'t initially prepared for the pressures of fame and success.
Danniella - who first appeared on the programme in 1990 - said: "I went into \'EastEnders\' at 15 and no-one told me about the pressures of stuff.
"I was already taking drugs because I\'d been abused as a child and that was given to me early on."
15 February 2026 - 3:10 AM
