Danniella Westbrook reveals, 'I hate looking in the mirror,' amid 18-month surgery journey

Danniella Westbrook has opened up about the full extent of the facial reconstruction surgery she still needs to undergo, revealing the process will take another 18 months and involve approximately six more procedures. The former soap star, 52, has been undergoing a series of reconstructive surgeries after a decades-long battle with cocaine addiction left her face severely distorted.Speaking to Vanessa Feltz on Channel 5, Westbrook got candid about what lies ahead. "Well, I've been through umpteen surgeries. I think I'm coming up to surgery number six at the moment. Five or six will be this Thursday. So it's quite scary," she told the host.Westbrook explained that the damage to her face has worsened with age due to osteoporosis setting into her bones. "I think since I got older, the osteoporosis has set in on my bones," she said, revealing that on one side of her face she no longer has "any bone at all." As a result, surgeons have been working to rebuild the structure of her face, with the next stage involving a metal cheekbone being fitted and connected further inside where the bone has not corroded.When Feltz asked how many more procedures she would need, Westbrook replied, "About another six to go I think after this one." She also described an upcoming procedure to address her lip, which has been pulling upward. "The next one they're doing is like a hair lip reversal because my lip's so far up now where it's pulling up that way. So I've got to do that from the inside, cut a flap from the inside of my cheek, flip it round and over and then bring it in from there and put it through because I don't want the scarring on the outside of my face," she explained.She summarised the road ahead simply. "It's another 18 months of surgery after surgery after surgery. About every two and a half, three months I'm in surgery."Westbrook also made a heartbreaking admission about her relationship with her own reflection. "I hate it. I hate looking in the mirror. I hate it. I hate looking," she confessed. She explained that she recently had a facelift to realign both sides of her face, not for cosmetic reasons but as a necessary step in the reconstruction process. "Just to get this nose in a certain position so we can start working on that, not for anything cosmetically beautifying, but no, I still hate looking in the mirror," she said.In February, Westbrook travelled to Dubai for a full £45,000 neck and face lift, following a nose surgery the previous summer in which cartilage from her rib was used to rebuild her nose. At the time she expressed her hope that completing the reconstruction would allow her to return to acting. "Big day for me heading down for a very long surgery right now to rebuild my face. Then I can get back to work," she said.Westbrook played the role of Sam Mitchell on 'EastEnders' for eight non-consecutive years before leaving the show in 2016 while working on her mental health. She has since spoken about hoping to return to the soap one day once her reconstruction is complete.With a lengthy road of procedures still ahead, Westbrook's journey to rebuilding her face is set to continue well into 2026 and beyond.