Danniella Westbrook's long-awaited screen comeback has been thrown into chaos after she was reportedly rushed to hospital with severe breathing difficulties, forcing producers to scramble for a replacement at the last minute. The 52-year-old had been due on set late last week for indie crime drama Tales From The Trap, marking her first screen role since 2016. But insiders say her health took a sharp downturn on Friday (December 5), leaving the actress unable to continue and forcing producers to rethink the project within hours.

Plans for Danniella's character - a gun-dealing gangster grandmother - had been seen as a bold return for the one-time soap favourite. Instead, the part has reportedly now been recast, with actress Kim Tiddy stepping in after previously appearing in Slow Horses and ITV legal drama The Bill. A source told The Daily Mail the decision wasn't taken lightly: "Danniella was rushed into hospital on Friday with breathing difficulties, which meant she had to pull out of filming Tales From The Trap."

The insider added: "She was due to make her movie comeback as a gangster granny selling AK47s to the gangsters. It's really disappointing as I am sure everyone was looking forward to seeing her play that part."

Producers reportedly moved quickly to secure Tiddy so the film could continue without delays. Adam Deacon is also starring in the production.

Danniella's spokesperson confirmed she had withdrawn from the project after weighing up her health needs.

In a statement to the Mirror, they said: "Danniella has made the difficult but necessary decision to put her health first."

They went on: "While she was grateful for the opportunity to join the project, the role she was cast in consisted of a single scene at the end of the film-less than a minute of screen time and only one page of dialogue.

After careful consideration, she felt it was in her best interest to focus on her well-being at this time.

She wishes the production team every success moving forward and looks forward to returning to work when the timing aligns with her health and readiness."

Danniella hasn't appeared in a TV or film project since finishing third on Celebrity Big Brother in 2016.

She first found fame at 16 playing Sam Mitchell in EastEnders, though addiction struggles led to her being written out multiple times before eventually being replaced by Kim Medcalf.

In recent years she has built steady stage work in pantomime, taking on roles from the Wicked Queen to the Fairy Godmother. But acting wasn't her only focus.

The star is launching her own talent management company next year, already signing several well-known names.

She told the Daily Star the move into talent management felt like "a natural progression" and something she'd "been dying to do for years", noting the industry still lacks proper support: "We also have a therapist who is on call at all times."

She's also open to a future reality TV return, saying: "I would love to go back in [I'm A Celebrity] now that I'm in a different place and mindset... At the end of the day, I've lived in my car, so why can't I live in the jungle again?"