Actress kidnapped by gunmen and raped as punishment after failing to pay drug debt
Former EastEnders star Danniella
EastEnders star Danniella Westbrook was kidnapped at gunpoint and raped by a gang of drug dealers after failing to pay a £5,000 cocaine debt, the Sunday People has revealed .
The actress was held for three days in a grimy flat where she was subjected to a series of hellish sex assaults by three thugs.
Their evil behaviour was a punishment for not being able to pay for the Class A drug that had almost killed her.
Danniella, who had just quit the BBC1 soap in which she played Sam Mitchell, was addicted to cocaine at the time of the horrific ordeal.
A source close to the star said last night: “It was nothing short of hell on earth for Danniella. It was the lowest point of her life. She was distraught but had no way of paying the money.
“Looking back, she can’t believe she let something like that happen.”
Danniella, 39, has waived her right to lifetime anonymity as a victim of a sexual attack so she can reveal the shocking truth about the scariest time of her life.
The actress, now a born-again Christian, was terrified when the gang arrived on the doorstep of her luxury riverside apartment near London’s landmark Tower Bridge in 1994.
The three drug dealers, furious that she hadn’t paid them, held a gun to her head and marched her into a waiting car which sped to Stockwell, south London.
There she spent three days being abused as a sex slave to the evil gang.
They told her they were punishing her and teaching her a lesson for not honouring her debt.
When they eventually let the traumatised star go free, she had to walk miles home.
Despite dating former East 17 singer Brian Harvey at the time, Danniella kept the horrendous assault a secret.
She only revealed the ordeal to close family last month after she sat down to write her forthcoming book.
Danniella will reveal the shocking details of the attack in her autobiography Faith, Hope and Clarity which will be published next month.
The source said: “Danniella had never been so frightened. She couldn’t believe what was happening.
“It is the worst incident that happened throughout the period when she was hooked on drugs. When she looks back and thinks about what happened, it fills her with horror.
“She was petrified as she was taken away. She didn’t know where she would end up.
“She owed £5,000 and had no way of paying the money back. She had quit EastEnders the year before and was just getting by earning a far smaller wage doing other acting work.”
At the time Danniella was appearing with Timothy Spall in ITV’s Frank Stubbs Promotes, a comedy about a ticket tout.
The source said: “With her drug addiction having spiralled out of control, her debts were mounting up.
“The gang wanted what they were owed. While she was relieved when they finally freed her she was still frightened.
“She had to walk back home having been abused for days without any money or phone to contact anyone. She had never felt that sort of humiliation before, she was numb and felt disgusting.
“She couldn’t believe what had happened but at the time she was so hooked on drugs that she just accepted it and moved on.
“She was not at all proud of how her life was at the time. She often felt suicidal and attempted to kill herself. She was in a bad, bad place.”
Danniella, now married to businessman Kevin Jenkins, 45, felt she couldn’t tell anyone about the attack.
She didn’t tell police as she feared she would be in trouble herself for using the illegal drug.
The source added: “When Danniella sat down to write her second book last year, she didn’t have any intention of revealing the ordeal but then decided the truth had to come out.
“She has always been very honest about her past as a drug addict and wanted to tell of the depths of her despair.
“She is not at all proud of the cocaine chapter in her life but she’s proud of getting through it and is happier than ever now she has come out the other side.
“Kevin and Danniella’s mum Sue were both incredibly shocked about what happened and couldn’t believe she’d never told them about the kidnap or the rape. She only told them a month ago.
“She felt shamed for a long time. But now she’s getting everything out in the open once and for all.
“She’s proof you can reach the lowest depths and come back and turn your life around.”
Danniella’s heartbreaking revelation will be just one shocking story in the book the star is self-publishing next month.
It is her second autobiography. Her first, The Other Side of Nowhere, was published in 2006 and went to No1 in the bestsellers list.
In her new book she will also lift the lid on her struggles with bipolar disorder and how her family nearly fell apart when Kevin lost his fortune as his business went under.
Danniella will also recount the crazy millionaire lifestyle they lived and how she’s found Jesus and got her life back on track.
The source added: “You thought Danniella had revealed everything but this latest book is the star laid bare.
“No subject is out of bounds and she’s laid every card there is on the table. It will shock people but it will also inspire those struggling with drugs to turn their lives around.”
Danniella’s drugs battle ended 12 years ago when she became clean for the first time since she was 14.
She was a teenager when she first snorted cocaine in a club in London’s West End.
After landing the EastEnders role of Sam Mitchell in 1990 alongside Ross Kemp and Steve McFadden as brothers Grant and Phil, she became hooked.
She would spend £400 a day on the drug, and now estimates she blew a total of £250,000 on her addiction.
Her weight dropped to just six stone and she attempted suicide several times.
She needed her nose rebuilt after the drug eroded her septum, leaving one gaping hole instead of nostrils.
In 2002 she underwent a four-hour operation to rebuild it.
She also revealed she snorted cocaine throughout her pregnancy with son Kai, now 15.
Danniella, who starred on I’m A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here in 2003 and Dancing On Ice in 2010, said: “I had so many rock bottoms.
“I tried to overdose a few times with paracetamol and Night Nurse. It was a feeble cry for help.”
Danniella’s cocaine days ended in 2001 when husband Kevin put her into rehab at the Promises clinic in Arizona after she stole from him to fund her addiction.
At the time she was three months pregnant with daughter Jody B, now 11.
She said: “He just put me on a plane to Arizona. I was so drugged up I didn’t know what was happening.”
Danniella now lives in an Essex village with her family after returning to the UK from California.
The family moved to the States in 2009 after selling their Kent mansion following the credit crunch.
In America she found God and will now never go back to drugs.
She and Kevin were introduced to the Sanctuary Church in Westminster, California.
Danniella said: “I have given my life to the Lord. The first time I came to this church I felt something so spiritual and amazing I wanted to cry.
“After a few visits I found myself walking up to the altar to ask the Lord for forgiveness for my sins. It was an incredible experience.”
Danniella is one of the most recognisable faces from EastEnders after starring on the soap on and off between 1990 and 2010.
She quit in 1993 to pursue other projects but was asked back two years later. In 1996 she was axed for her off-screen antics and poor time-keeping but was asked back in 1999 and sacked again a year later.
She returned for the third time in 2009 for two stints and finally left for good in 2010.
Last night Danniella declined to comment on her new autobiography and what it reveals.
The actress was held for three days in a grimy flat where she was subjected to a series of hellish sex assaults by three thugs.
Their evil behaviour was a punishment for not being able to pay for the Class A drug that had almost killed her.
Danniella, who had just quit the BBC1 soap in which she played Sam Mitchell, was addicted to cocaine at the time of the horrific ordeal.
A source close to the star said last night: “It was nothing short of hell on earth for Danniella. It was the lowest point of her life. She was distraught but had no way of paying the money.
“Looking back, she can’t believe she let something like that happen.”
Danniella, 39, has waived her right to lifetime anonymity as a victim of a sexual attack so she can reveal the shocking truth about the scariest time of her life.
The actress, now a born-again Christian, was terrified when the gang arrived on the doorstep of her luxury riverside apartment near London’s landmark Tower Bridge in 1994.
The three drug dealers, furious that she hadn’t paid them, held a gun to her head and marched her into a waiting car which sped to Stockwell, south London.
There she spent three days being abused as a sex slave to the evil gang.
They told her they were punishing her and teaching her a lesson for not honouring her debt.
When they eventually let the traumatised star go free, she had to walk miles home.
Despite dating former East 17 singer Brian Harvey at the time, Danniella kept the horrendous assault a secret.
She only revealed the ordeal to close family last month after she sat down to write her forthcoming book.
Danniella will reveal the shocking details of the attack in her autobiography Faith, Hope and Clarity which will be published next month.
The source said: “Danniella had never been so frightened. She couldn’t believe what was happening.
“It is the worst incident that happened throughout the period when she was hooked on drugs. When she looks back and thinks about what happened, it fills her with horror.
“She was petrified as she was taken away. She didn’t know where she would end up.
“She owed £5,000 and had no way of paying the money back. She had quit EastEnders the year before and was just getting by earning a far smaller wage doing other acting work.”
At the time Danniella was appearing with Timothy Spall in ITV’s Frank Stubbs Promotes, a comedy about a ticket tout.
The source said: “With her drug addiction having spiralled out of control, her debts were mounting up.
“The gang wanted what they were owed. While she was relieved when they finally freed her she was still frightened.
“She had to walk back home having been abused for days without any money or phone to contact anyone. She had never felt that sort of humiliation before, she was numb and felt disgusting.
“She couldn’t believe what had happened but at the time she was so hooked on drugs that she just accepted it and moved on.
“She was not at all proud of how her life was at the time. She often felt suicidal and attempted to kill herself. She was in a bad, bad place.”
Danniella, now married to businessman Kevin Jenkins, 45, felt she couldn’t tell anyone about the attack.
She didn’t tell police as she feared she would be in trouble herself for using the illegal drug.
The source added: “When Danniella sat down to write her second book last year, she didn’t have any intention of revealing the ordeal but then decided the truth had to come out.
“She has always been very honest about her past as a drug addict and wanted to tell of the depths of her despair.
“She is not at all proud of the cocaine chapter in her life but she’s proud of getting through it and is happier than ever now she has come out the other side.
“Kevin and Danniella’s mum Sue were both incredibly shocked about what happened and couldn’t believe she’d never told them about the kidnap or the rape. She only told them a month ago.
“She felt shamed for a long time. But now she’s getting everything out in the open once and for all.
“She’s proof you can reach the lowest depths and come back and turn your life around.”
Danniella’s heartbreaking revelation will be just one shocking story in the book the star is self-publishing next month.
It is her second autobiography. Her first, The Other Side of Nowhere, was published in 2006 and went to No1 in the bestsellers list.
In her new book she will also lift the lid on her struggles with bipolar disorder and how her family nearly fell apart when Kevin lost his fortune as his business went under.
Danniella will also recount the crazy millionaire lifestyle they lived and how she’s found Jesus and got her life back on track.
The source added: “You thought Danniella had revealed everything but this latest book is the star laid bare.
“No subject is out of bounds and she’s laid every card there is on the table. It will shock people but it will also inspire those struggling with drugs to turn their lives around.”
Danniella’s drugs battle ended 12 years ago when she became clean for the first time since she was 14.
She was a teenager when she first snorted cocaine in a club in London’s West End.
After landing the EastEnders role of Sam Mitchell in 1990 alongside Ross Kemp and Steve McFadden as brothers Grant and Phil, she became hooked.
She would spend £400 a day on the drug, and now estimates she blew a total of £250,000 on her addiction.
Her weight dropped to just six stone and she attempted suicide several times.
She needed her nose rebuilt after the drug eroded her septum, leaving one gaping hole instead of nostrils.
In 2002 she underwent a four-hour operation to rebuild it.
She also revealed she snorted cocaine throughout her pregnancy with son Kai, now 15.
Danniella, who starred on I’m A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here in 2003 and Dancing On Ice in 2010, said: “I had so many rock bottoms.
“I tried to overdose a few times with paracetamol and Night Nurse. It was a feeble cry for help.”
Danniella’s cocaine days ended in 2001 when husband Kevin put her into rehab at the Promises clinic in Arizona after she stole from him to fund her addiction.
At the time she was three months pregnant with daughter Jody B, now 11.
She said: “He just put me on a plane to Arizona. I was so drugged up I didn’t know what was happening.”
Danniella now lives in an Essex village with her family after returning to the UK from California.
The family moved to the States in 2009 after selling their Kent mansion following the credit crunch.
In America she found God and will now never go back to drugs.
She and Kevin were introduced to the Sanctuary Church in Westminster, California.
Danniella said: “I have given my life to the Lord. The first time I came to this church I felt something so spiritual and amazing I wanted to cry.
“After a few visits I found myself walking up to the altar to ask the Lord for forgiveness for my sins. It was an incredible experience.”
Danniella is one of the most recognisable faces from EastEnders after starring on the soap on and off between 1990 and 2010.
She quit in 1993 to pursue other projects but was asked back two years later. In 1996 she was axed for her off-screen antics and poor time-keeping but was asked back in 1999 and sacked again a year later.
She returned for the third time in 2009 for two stints and finally left for good in 2010.
Last night Danniella declined to comment on her new autobiography and what it reveals.
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