EXC: Danniella Westbrook will pay tribute to the late Barbara Windsor as she takes on the role in 18+ panto
Danniella Westbrook has announced she will be paying a “big” tribute to her late friend Barbara Windsor while starring in the adults-only West End pantomime Sinderfella.
Returning to acting for the first time since her EastEnders comeback in 2016, the 48-year-old will play the fairy godmother – a role her former co-star opted for before her death in December 2020 after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease was famous .
In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, Danniella praised the “sassy” Peggy Mitchell actress and opened up about how she’ll be taking inspiration from the “little sex symbol” for her latest daring project in December.
EXCLUSIVE: Danniella Westbrook has revealed she will pay a ‘big’ tribute to her late friend Barbara Windsor while starring in adult-only West End pantomime Sinderfella
She began: “The last time I was an actor was six years ago, but I said on This Morning earlier this year, just three months ago, that my return would be in theater and preferably in the West End. And like magic, my agent got me the job!
“I’ve played fairy godmother before, but not since Barbara passed, so I’m going to give her a big nod tonight.
“We’re going to have a lot of little innuendos and things like that. For me personally, it would just be a nice thing to do.
“I play the fairy godmother and Barbara always has, so it’s a great honor for me to be promoted to this position.”
Tragic: Peggy Mitchell icon Barbara died in December 2020 at the age of 83 after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease (pictured right with Danniella left in 2002)
The Walthamstow native worked alongside the Carry On icon at EastEnders in the 90s and 2000s, starting when Danniella was just 21 years old.
She gushed, “I learned so much from Bar. Mainly about acting, but more generally how to treat people, members of the public and people who support us in our work and on our journey. She taught me to be humble and true to myself.
“Barbara was always naughty and a bit of a sex symbol, you know, a wee bundle of fun. She was our little pocket rocket and we loved her dearly.
“She is greatly missed, both in the world of theater and television. Everyone misses Barbara Windsor and she will always be a big, big part of my life.
In her element: The 48-year-old is set to play the fairy godmother – a role her former co-star was famous for (Barbara pictured in 2010)
Danniella has left little to the imagination in her recent social media snaps, teasing her figure in the 18+ panto – written by Big Brothers Simon Gross – which may be just as lewd.
She said: “I don’t know what kind of outfit Simon has planned this year but I’m sure some of them will be a bit risqué.
“I have other little things that come up as to what those Instagram posts were actually meant for, but that’s a whole different story.”
The Ex I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! campmate is currently only performing for one night in Sinderfella on December 12th, but has revealed that due to high demand, they are in talks to sign up for more dates.
Racy: Danniella has left little to the imagination in her recent social media snaps, teasing that her 18+ panto figure could be just as raunchy
She said: “Right now the only date I have there is the 12th but we have a few other dates that we are talking about and we haven’t released them yet.
“The twelfth is literally almost sold out. We just published it two days ago. We haven’t released our other dates yet, but I think we will in the next two weeks.
Based on the classic fairy tale Cinderella, the upcoming drag production is “not for the faint of heart or those of a prudish nature,” according to the ad.
Sinderfella will run at The Prince of Wales, Dury Lane in London between December 9th and 22nd.
Exciting: She is due to perform in Sinderfella for just one night on December 12 but has revealed she is in talks to sign up for more dates. writer Simon [right] plays the ugly sister Jordan
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-11345463/EXC-Danniella-Westbrook-pay-tribute-late-Barbara-Windsor-takes-role-18-panto.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490 EXC: Danniella Westbrook will pay tribute to the late Barbara Windsor as she takes on the role in 18+ panto
