Danniella Westbrook has revealed that she only decided to return to work because she has been clean from drugs for eight years.

Last month Danniella agreed to return to BBC soap Eastenders as Sam Mitchell.

She told The Sun: “I only decided to go back to work this year because my kids are older and Kevin [Jenkins, husband] suggested I do something for myself as I’ve been clean for eight years.”

After years of cocaine abuse, Daniella was forced to undergo surgery to rebuild her nasal septum which had been eroded away by cocaine. She said: “I’m grateful that my surgeon could rebuild [my nose] so perfectly. He said to me that if I ever relapsed it couldn’t be redone, but I won’t relapse… not in a million years.”