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Danniella Westbrook talks EastEnders return

She doesn't think she's been treated that well

Danniella Westbrook has admitted she’d love to return to EastEnders, but that they don’t seem to want her back.

The actress has played Sam Mitchell on and off since 1990, and her last appearance on screen was a brief return for her mum, Peggy’s, funeral last summer.

Read more: EastEnders fans furious about Letitia Dean being ‘replaced’

Sam quickly fled the Square though and left behind her young son with Jack Branning, Ricky, amidst rumours Danniella had been axed due to poor time keeping. She strongly denied the allegations.

She’s had a turbulent time lately and headed off to Marbella at the start of the year to try to put things behind her. But a vicious mugging there hit her hard.

A return to the soap that made her famous could be just what she needs to get her life back on track, but it seems the show aren’t all that keen on the idea.

Speaking to The Sun when asked whether she’d ever go back to Walford, she told them:

“Always, love EastEnders. The last time I went back fans [wanted me back] and there’s good tension between her and Sharon and all that stuff.

“And now because you haven’t got the Pauline, Peggy and Pat types older characters, it needs Sam, Sharon and Roxy but they just won’t do it.

“They just will not do it. They have said I’m sacked, I’m this and that, they seem to use me for PR and not for the work.”

Whilst the show haven’t commented on what Danniella had to say, she insists she has nothing but the highest respect for EastEnders and it’s cast.

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She even leapt to Danny Dyer’s defence when he was forced to leave the show for a while to “sort his life out”.

“He works really hard,” she said. “He has a lot of work to do at EastEnders, I think he’s given his all to that show.”

With the Mitchells slowly depleting now Ronnie and Roxy are dead, the Square is lacking in mouthy blonde bombshells. Would a return for Sam be so out of the question?

It could be just what they need to inject a bit of spice into storylines…


Carena Crawford
Associate Editor (Soaps)