Danniella Westbrook told fans she's had the first of four surgeries to rebuild her face, after years of drug abuse and botched surgery caused it to 'rot'.
The former EastEnders star, who rose to fame playing Sam Mitchell in 1990, shared the news with her social media following in recent days.
The actress, 47, started the first round of the four part journey and revealed she hopes it will 'stop all the hate' - but she will need to have three more operations to get things back to how they were.
"Stage one of the four part journey of reconstructive surgery to rebuild my face and finally stop all the hate," she shared on Instagram.
She then added on Twitter : "I'm over the moon thanks to my darling friend CL owner of Beverley hills aesthetic’s in deal .. she has been amazing and glad she is working alongside the fabulous medical team to assist my transformation and journey x"
Fans of Danniella left their sweet messages underneath, with one writing: "If your mind can conceive it your heart will believe it I know you can achieve it.. well done Danni."
Another penned: "Good luck beautiful. I have my fingers crossed everything goes perfect for you xxx"
"Wishing you all the best for a speedy recovery and fantastic future ahead!" a third added.
Meanwhile, a friend close to Danniella told The Sun : "This is an incredibly important process for Danniella. It is more than just an operation.
"It is the start of a major new chapter in her life. She receives a lot of her hate on social media and is hoping this operation will correct many of the problems."
The TV star previously revealed that the bones in her face are "rotting away" after years of taking drugs and having dodgy surgery, which caused osteoporosis.
Danniella explained her left cheekbone is "wasting away" and she now has screws instead of teeth, which she claims cut at her tongue when she speaks.
She says the botched surgery has left her face completely "sunken" and sometimes her cheek swells up in "agony".
"I just don't look like myself any more," she said in 2018.
"Obviously I'm going to age a lot faster anyway because of the drugs but I didn't need this as well."
It's been a tough few years for Danniella, but she now lives at the seaside in Wales in order to "feed her soul".
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