Danniella Westbrook Seen Swollen and Bruised in a Wheelchair After Surgery in Dubai

Images showed the former "EastEnders" star in a wheelchair with a compression garment tightly wrapped around her head, her face swollen and almost unrecognisable.

Images shared online this week have sparked widespread concern for former "EastEnders" star Danniella Westbrook after she was photographed leaving the hospital in Dubai following major facial surgery.

 

The 52-year-old actress was pictured in a series of photographs shared on X on February 10, 2026, showing her visibly bruised and heavily swollen as she exited Gargash Hospital less than 24 hours after going under the knife.

The stark images capture Westbrook at different stages of the process. In one photograph taken outside the hospital's glass-fronted entrance, she stood in bright daylight wearing a loose, sleeveless fuchsia dress and black sliders.

She held paperwork and what appeared to be a small medical bag, while her face looked taut and inflamed. Swelling was particularly noticeable around her cheeks, jawline, and under her eyes.

Her blonde hair was pulled into a high, messy bun secured with a blue bow, and her expression appeared strained as she faced the camera.

Another image, taken inside the hospital, showed her in a clinical room near a window. She wore a firm compression strap wrapped under her chin as medical equipment and tubing were visible behind her. The actress's eyes looked puffy, and her face appeared tense following the operation.

 

A third photograph showed Westbrook being wheeled out of the facility. Dressed in the same bright pink dress, she sat in a wheelchair while a man stood behind her.

A structured compression garment was still tightly fastened around her head and jaw, designed to control swelling following invasive facial procedures. She clutched documents in her lap, and bruising beneath her eyes was visible.

The renewed attention follows a markedly different update Westbrook shared with followers last month.


The procedure, carried out on February 9, reportedly involved a full face, neck and brow lift alongside lip and nose reconstruction. The surgery was performed by Dr Parviz Sadigh, the specialist who has overseen several of Westbrook's previous reconstructive operations.

Recovery from combined facial lift procedures can take up to nine months, with significant swelling expected in the early stages. As for the court of public opinion, online reaction to the photographs was swift.

Some expressed sympathy for the actress, as one person wrote, "Gosh, it looks incredibly painful." Another commented, "It's heartbreaking what happened to her. Amazing mental strength to keep going. Was so naturally pretty."

Others were more critical in tone. "Look at her. She's ruined her face due to surgery," one netizen typed. Amid the debate, another appeared unsure whether the images were genuine, writing, "@grok is this a real photo of Daniella [sic] Westbrook?"

The renewed attention follows a markedly different update Westbrook shared with followers last month. In an Instagram post dated January 15, she appeared camera-ready with freshly styled blonde hair worn sleek and straight past her shoulders.

In 2018, she disclosed that her facial bones were deteriorating following years of substance abuse and complications from past surgery.


Her makeup was polished, her complexion smooth, and her features sharply contoured. In the caption, the actress thanked her doctor for his continued work and expressed gratitude for what she described as ongoing support throughout her transformation.

In a separate post shared last month, she also revealed she was preparing for another major surgery in Dubai, signalling that further procedures were imminent. However, plans for extensive surgical work had already been reported in December 2025.

 

At the time, it was disclosed that Westbrook would travel to Dubai in the new year for a significant operation, followed by two or three additional corrective procedures. She was also expected to undergo a £45,000 neck and face lift, with rehabilitation projected to last up to two years.

 

For Westbrook, these procedures stem from long-term medical damage rather than cosmetic preference. She has spoken openly about her cocaine addiction, which began when she was 14 after rising to fame as Sam Mitchell on BBC One's "EastEnders."

During the height of her dependency in the 1990s and early 2000s, she admitted to spending £250,000 on the drug. At one stage, she said she was taking five grams a day, including while pregnant with her son, Kai

The physical consequences were severe. Her septum collapsed in 2000, and over time, the structural damage extended to her cheekbones. She later revealed she had lost her left cheekbone and the upper gums in her mouth, relying on a denture that rests against the roof of her mouth. Westbrook revealed:

"I just don't look like myself any more. Obviously, I'm going to age a lot faster anyway because of the drugs but I didn't need this as well."

In 2018, she disclosed that her facial bones were deteriorating following years of substance abuse and complications from past surgery. She described waking some mornings with the left side of her face visibly sunken.

On other days, swelling would flare due to bone weakening linked to osteoporosis. Furthermore, Westbrook revealed that screws had replaced her teeth, cutting her tongue as she spoke.

Attempts to correct the damage have been ongoing. In 2023, she underwent a thread lift involving more than 1,200 stitches in the face. She later said the experience left her in "immense" pain and did not achieve the nasal reconstruction she had hoped for.

The images shared on February 10 offer an unfiltered snapshot of that reality — not polished, not filtered, and not complete.

In June 2025, surgeons used cartilage from her rib to rebuild the bridge of her nose — a complex graft designed to restore facial structure. Photographs at the time showed her with a bandage across her nose following the operation.

Beyond reconstructive work, Westbrook has acknowledged undergoing several cosmetic procedures in previous years, including seven breast augmentations, an eye lift, a face lift, Botox treatments, and even liposuction on her knees — surgeries she has since suggested were unnecessary.

This latest operation marks one of the most comprehensive procedures in Danniella Westbrook's ongoing effort to repair decades of damage caused by addiction.

The images shared on February 10 offer an unfiltered snapshot of that reality — not polished, not filtered, and not complete. They show a woman in the earliest, most vulnerable stage of recovery.

As swelling subsides over the coming months, the full results of the surgery will gradually emerge. For now, however, the photographs underscore the physical toll of a journey that has spanned more than two decades — and is still not over.