school. She was sent to a local private school, until, at the age of 12, her parents allowed her to attend Sylvia Young Theatre School as a full-time student, where Denise Van Outen, Dani Behr and her future EastEnders co-stars, Nicola Stapleton and Samantha Janus, were among her contemporaries. Career Early career Westbrook started off modelling at the age of seven for the supermarket Asda. She went on to launch Next's children's fashionware, became the face of highstreet store "Tammy Girl", took part in a Weetabix campaign and featured in advertisements for Opel cars and Coca-Cola. Later she did modelling alongside her younger brother Jay. She progressed into acting, appearing as a child thief in Melvyn Bragg's London Programme and the West End production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. She appeared in the music video for the song "The Invisible Man" by Queen and had a minor role in Grange Hill. At the age of eleven she appeared as an extra in BBC soap opera EastEnders, roller skating across the soap's setting of Albert Square. At the time her local paper published her picture with the punchline "who knows, one day she may be the show's star!". EastEnders At the age of 16, Westbrook was put forward for a much bigger role in EastEnders, Sam Mitchell (the younger sister of Phil and Grant). Her audition was successful and her first appearance on EastEnders was aired in July 1990. Despite featuring in some prominent storylines, Westbrook decided to leave the soap in 1993 to take on another role. In 1995, the producers at EastEnders asked her back to the soap a second time. However, Westbrook was regularly using cocaine and it began to affect her work. Due to her off-screen difficulties and her poor and tardy attendance on set, the producers of EastEnders terminated her contract and she was written out of the soap again in 1996. In 1999, EastEnders producers decided to reintroduce the character of Sam Mitchell. Although they initially considered recasting the role to another actress, and despite all her past problems, they decided to give Westbrook another chance and she was asked back for a third time. During her time away, her heavy use of cocaine had completely eroded her nasal septum. To hide this from the viewers, she was only filmed in ways that would keep her septum hidden from view. However, Westbrook's drug