Danniella Westbrook Net Worth 2025: How Addiction, Fame, and Lost Millions Shaped Her Fortune

Danniella Westbrook's current net worth sits at £500,000. This modest figure tells only part of her rocky financial story. The former soap actress could have amassed much more wealth if addiction hadn't taken its toll.

Her battle with drugs has been costly. Reports show she has spent £250,000 on cocaine alone. The numbers are staggering – during the worst periods of her addiction, she would spend £400 daily on drugs. Her drug use started when she was just 14 years old, well before she found fame.

Despite her years of experience and success, Danniella's ongoing substance abuse problems have eaten away at her earnings and savings. This piece reveals the stark reality of her lost millions and examines what's left of her fortune today.

Danniella Westbrook’s Net Worth: What She Has Left Today

Danniella Westbrook's financial story shows a clear gap between what she could have earned and her situation now. Her finances have somewhat steadied after years of ups and downs, yet her wealth today is just a small part of what her career could have brought her.

Estimated current net worth

Danniella Westbrook's fortune stands at around £500,000 in 2023. She has bounced back from having almost nothing left. Her income now comes from TV appearances, social media deals, and speaking events.

She rebuilt some of her wealth through smart career choices. Reality shows like "I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!" and "Celebrity Big Brother" helped boost her bank balance. Her current financial position is nowhere near what other EastEnders stars have built up over the same time.

How much she earned at her peak

Her role as Sam Mitchell in EastEnders brought her substantial paychecks. The 1990s saw her earning over £100,000 yearly from the BBC soap alone. Her fame opened doors to profitable endorsements, modeling work, and appearances that added much more to her income.

Experts believe she could have made more than £2 million during her best years. People saw her everywhere – in magazines, on billboards, and TV. She became one of the most recognized soap stars of her time. Brands rushed to work with this young actress who had caught everyone's attention.

Her earning power was remarkable, especially since she started on EastEnders as a teenager. Financial experts say she could have been worth £4-5 million today if she had stayed on track. This would have put her among Britain's wealthier TV stars.

Where the money went

Her wealth disappeared largely because of several reasons, with cocaine addiction leading the list. She spent about £400 daily on cocaine at her worst point, which added up to nearly £150,000 each year. The total cost of her addiction reached around £250,000.

Her spending started with what seemed like simple luxury purchases:

• Designer clothes worth tens of thousands
• Luxury cars, including a £50,000 sports car
• Several high-end properties
• Cosmetic procedures costing over £50,000

Bad financial choices made things worse beyond her drug use. She lost money in failed businesses, including a clothing shop and beauty salon that didn't work out. Her unreliability on

set led to long periods without work or steady income.

Her relationships hit her wallet hard too. She often supported her partners financially and made poor investments based on bad advice. Legal issues and multiple rehab stays drained even more of her money.

These factors created the perfect financial storm that wiped out what could have been a huge fortune. Though she has shown great strength in building back some wealth, her past financial choices still affect her life today.

The Rise: From Child Star to Soap Icon

Danniella Westbrook built a promising career that could have made her wealthy before her money problems started. Her story from a modest start to soap opera fame makes her later financial struggles even more striking.

Danniella Westbrook young and early modeling

Westbrook's life began in Walthamstow in 1973. Her dad drove a taxi and her mom worked as a shop assistant. She proved her talent early and broke into modeling when she was just seven years old, despite having no family connections in show business.

Her modeling career took off quickly. Young Westbrook's portfolio grew impressive – she became the face of Asda supermarket, launched Next's children's clothing line, and represented Tammy Girl on the high street. Big brands like Weetabix, Opel cars, and Coca-Cola also featured her in their campaigns.

Her parents saw her talent and spent their hard-earned money to send her to the prestigious Sylvia Young Theater School. She studied there with future stars Emma Bunton and Denise Van Outen. The young talent balanced her school work with an increasingly busy career that would soon pay off.

Landing the role of Sam Mitchell

Acting came naturally to Westbrook. She played a young thief in Melvyn Bragg's London Program and performed in the West End's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Queen picked her for their "The Invisible Man" music video, and she landed a small part in the popular teen show Grange Hill.

The most interesting twist came when 11-year-old Westbrook appeared as an extra in EastEnders, skating through Albert Square. Her local paper ran her picture with what turned out to be a prophetic caption: "Who knows, one day she may be the show's star!"

That prediction came true five years later. Westbrook, now 16, tried out for Sam Mitchell's role – the younger sister of Phil and Grant Mitchell. Producers looked at 80 girls before picking just four finalists. They carefully compared her facial features with photos of Steve McFadden and Ross Kemp during her final callback to find a family resemblance.

July 1990 marked Westbrook's first appearance as Sam Mitchell. She caught everyone's attention right away when Sam gave Ricky Butcher (Sid Owen) a flirty look that made him walk straight into a lamp-post. This scene launched her journey to becoming a household name.

Earnings from EastEnders and other shows

Producers gave Westbrook a three-month contract at first. They quickly extended it after seeing how well she fit with the cast. Sam Mitchell became central to major storylines, and viewers loved her.

Westbrook's EastEnders salary peaked at around £100,000 per year. She made even more money through endorsements and appearances that came with her fame.

Money experts think she earned between £1.5-£2.5 million during her best years. She could have been worth £4-5 million today if things had stayed on track.

Her time with EastEnders became rocky later on. She left in 1993 to explore other opportunities but came back in 1995. Her cocaine addiction started affecting her work, and the show let her go in 1996. They gave her another chance in 1999, but ongoing drug problems led to her departure in 2000.

The Fall: Drug Addiction and Its Financial Toll

The glamorous world of soap opera stardom couldn't shield Danniella Westbrook from a devastating downward spiral that would slash her net worth. Her cocaine addiction became the most destructive force in her financial life and cost her hundreds of thousands of pounds in direct expenses and missed opportunities.

Cocaine use starting at age 14

Westbrook's drug problems started at an alarmingly young age. She tried her first line of cocaine at 14 in a nightclub, well before her EastEnders fame. The drug made her feel more confident at first, but this feeling changed into dependence faster than she expected.

"I thought I couldn't go out clubbing or whatever without it," she later revealed in interviews. She started this dangerous path before landing her EastEnders role at 16, which set the stage for her future struggles.

£400-a-day habit and septum collapse

Her casual drug use grew into a full-blown addiction by age 21, draining about £400 from her wallet daily. She spent around £250,000 on cocaine throughout her addiction, though some sources say the number could be as high as £400,000.

Her cocaine abuse led to something that shocked everyone – the complete collapse of her nasal septum, the cartilage between her nostrils. This visible sign of her addiction became one of British entertainment's most shocking images.

Rehab stints and relapses

Westbrook tried many times to beat her addiction. She went through a home detox, spent four weeks in a Tucson, Arizona clinic, and another six weeks as an outpatient in Florida. She stayed clean for 14 years before things fell apart in 2014. A botched dental surgery pushed her back to cocaine in 2017. She landed in the hospital after another relapse in 2021. Each attempt to get clean drained her finances even more.

Impact on work and income

Her addiction wreaked havoc on her career right away. She kept showing up late to work because of cocaine. One scary day, she had a cocaine-induced seizure and tumbled down the EastEnders set stairs – actor Ross Kemp caught her at the bottom. The show fired her multiple times because of these incidents – first in 1996, again in 2000, and more times after that.

She summed it up herself: "I'd gone from being a famous actress, to being famous for being a drug addict". This change destroyed both her reputation and her earning potential when she should have been at her peak. The financial damage went beyond just buying drugs – she lost earnings, missed opportunities, and had to pay for medical treatments to fix drug-related health problems.

Lavish Spending and Lifestyle Choices

Danniella Westbrook's fortune disappeared faster through her extravagant spending habits than her drug addiction. Her lifestyle of excess constantly drained her resources as her income grew.

Designer clothes and luxury cars

Westbrook admitted to "spending insane amounts on designer clothes" for herself and her children during her peak fame. Her ex-husband Kevin bought thousands worth of luxury cars. She carried a £1,200 Louis Vuitton handbag while facing homelessness, showing she couldn't adjust her spending despite money troubles.

"If I had £500, I'd spend a million. I'd have spent it 12 times over before it even hit the bank," Westbrook confessed. She earned more money than she could spend but never learned to save. "I was working six days a week, earning more than I could actually spend, yet I just didn't think about saving the way I should've".

Multiple cosmetic surgeries

Surgery addiction replaced Westbrook's drug dependency. She spent over £500,000 to rebuild her face. Her surgery list included a "designer vagina" operation (which she filmed and shared publicly), multiple boob jobs, a facelift, neck lift, and so much Botox that she couldn't close her eyes.

She got another facial reconstruction in Turkey in 2023. The procedure included a thread lift with 1,200 threads in her face, plus liposuction in her cheeks and lips. She later said she hated how it turned out.

Failed business ventures and toyboy relationships

Money problems pushed Westbrook to California where she opened "Barkingham Palace," a luxury dog grooming parlor. The business failed quickly, and she reportedly left an employee unpaid, owing "in excess of $10,000" in wages.

Her love life with younger men complicated her finances after her 12-year marriage to Kevin Jenkins ended. She dated several "toyboy" partners including cage fighter Tom Richards (24) and George Arnold (24). A week after breaking up with her fiancé, she started dating a "rich businessman" from Turkey who "spoiled her with presents".

Money problems followed these relationships consistently. One partner found out she owed £470,000 in debts.

Homelessness, Benefits, and Public Support

Danniella Westbrook's financial collapse ended in what might be her darkest chapter – homelessness and public assistance. Her years of addiction and reckless spending left her without simple necessities. This showed how her once-substantial net worth had disappeared.

Living in a bedsit and using food banks

Westbrook confirmed on Twitter in 2014: "I've lost my home and I'm living in sheltered housing waiting to be housed". The actress, who once had millions, moved to temporary housing that looked "like a bedsit".

She couldn't afford her Kent home anymore. She survived on food banks and help from friends during this time. "I've lost all work, we're in a bedsit, I go to food banks," she revealed in an emotional TV interview. Her daughter stepped up as "the adult in the situation" and kept encouraging her mother to stay positive through this crisis.

Overdose and suicide attempt

Her money troubles and personal problems pushed her to try suicide multiple times. "I tried to overdose a lot when George walked out," she admitted after a breakup. She begged doctors to section her in one desperate moment, saying "Please section me, I am trying to kill myself". She wrote goodbye notes to her children, telling them they would "have a better life" without her. She had tried "to overdose a few times with paracetamol" before this.

Public appearances and reality TV comebacks

Westbrook tried to get back on her feet through TV opportunities. She joined shows like "Celebrity Big Brother," "Dancing On Ice," and "I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!". She turned down more than £15,000 for "Celeb Cooking School" in 2023 because of schedule conflicts. She performed in pantomimes and worked as a DJ. She hopes to find "more TV opportunities to show fans a new side to herself".

Conclusion

Danniella Westbrook's net worth story shows how quickly money can slip through your fingers. She started with a promising career that could have made her millions but lost it all to addiction. Her downward spiral began after earning £100,000 a year on EastEnders. Soon she found herself at food banks, largely due to her £400-a-day cocaine habit.

The saddest part? Her financial ruin could have been avoided. Her talent and market appeal could have built lasting wealth. Instead, she spent around £250,000 on drugs throughout her career. She also burned through money on designer clothes, luxury cars, and cosmetic procedures that drained her bank account.

Failed businesses added to her money problems. Her unstable relationships made it harder to get back on her feet. She hit rock bottom, living in bedsits and thinking about suicide. But Westbrook proved tough. Reality TV shows and public appearances helped her rebuild some of her wealth.

These days, she's worth about £500,000. This number tells two stories – her fall from potential millions and her fight to bounce back. Her experience serves as a warning about addiction's true cost and poor money choices.

Westbrook keeps looking for new chances to succeed. Her story reminds us that money, no matter how much you have, can vanish quickly when addiction and rash decisions take control.

FAQs

Q1. What is Danniella Westbrook's current net worth?

Danniella Westbrook's current net worth is estimated to be around £500,000. This figure represents a significant decrease from her peak earnings but also shows her ability to partially recover from financial difficulties.

Q2. How did Danniella Westbrook's drug addiction affect her career and finances?

Westbrook's cocaine addiction severely impacted her career and finances. She reportedly spent £400 a day on drugs at the height of her addiction, totaling an estimated £250,000 over the years. This led to her being fired from EastEnders multiple times and significantly reduced her earning potential.

Q3. What were some of Danniella Westbrook's lavish spending habits?

Westbrook was known for spending extravagantly on designer clothes, luxury cars, and multiple cosmetic surgeries. She admitted to "spending insane amounts on designer clothes" and underwent numerous procedures, including facial reconstructions and other cosmetic operations.

Q4. Has Danniella Westbrook ever experienced homelessness?

Yes, Westbrook has experienced homelessness. In 2014, she publicly confirmed that she was living in sheltered housing and relying on food banks. This period marked a significant low point in her financial situation.

Q5. How has Danniella Westbrook attempted to rebuild her career and finances?

Westbrook has attempted to rebuild her career and finances through various reality TV appearances, including "Celebrity Big Brother," "Dancing On Ice," and "I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!" She has also worked as a DJ and appeared in pantomimes, seeking new opportunities to showcase herself to fans.