Danniella Westbrook has revealed she is battling womb cancer.
The 44-year-old actress admitted she has been terrified by the thought of dying, and has been thinking about her late friend Jade Goody – who died of cervical cancer in 2009.
The former EastEnders actress is set to have a hysterectomy in three weeks time as she battles the disease.
Upsetting news: Danniella Westbrook has revealed she is battling womb cancer
Speaking to The Mirror, she explained: ‘I’ve always said I am not scared of dying. But when the doctor said, “You have cancer”, straight away my thoughts turned to Jade and that I don’t want to die.
Jade died in 2009, aged 27, after a short battle with cervical cancer that promoted a surge in women having cervical screenings.
Danniella, who has two children, added: ‘Getting this diagnosis has made me realise I don’t want to die. I want to live and sort out my health. I know I have to fight, I know I have to get up and battle it.’
The star, whose mother is a womb cancer survivor, revealed that doctors initially misdiagnosed her illness after finding a tangerine-sized clot in her womb, mistakenly believing she was pregnant.
Late last month, Danniella took to Twitter to confess she had made ‘some bad choices’ as a result of discovering ‘bad news’ about her health.
In a candid message, the reality star, who previously admitted to first experimenting drugs at 14, revealed she has a ‘tendency to run back to what I know in times of struggle and hardship.’
Revealing details of her ‘addiction’ with her keen fans, the Celebrity Big Brother star admitted: ‘Human beings make mistakes…It’s insane but it’s addiction (sic).’
‘I hate it & I hate myself after but tbh it’s a illness that twists ur soul. But it’s 1 I battle and won’t let get the better of me’, she continued.
Confessing that she jetted off to her holiday hotspot of Spain for time away from her stresses, Danniella went on: ‘Always x I have had bad news of late about my health and i did what I always do and buried my head for a few weeks in Spain.. made some bad choices because the news has rocked me .. x.’
As a young actress in the spotlight, Danniella famously snorted so much cocaine that she damaged her nasal septum in 2001, leading her to have restorative surgery.
She had been off drugs for more than a decade but first turned to them once again thanks to a turbulent relationship with 25-year-old cage fighter Tom Richards.
She admitted it was difficult having to deal with her problems in the media spotlight, especially as she has met people who have sold stories about her for their own financial gain.
Speaking on This Morning in 2016, Danniella admitted: ‘Myself and my kids have been through a tough time with my ex partner… I have made a lot of mistakes. I relapsed because I wanted to after I was clean for 13 years.
‘We all battle with our demons but mine are in the public eye,’ she concluded.