Danniella Westbrook has backtracked on her claims she’s set to return to ‘EastEnders’, after soap bosses denied they were true.
During an appearance on ‘Loose Women’ on Thursday (12 May), the star told the panel she would be reprising her role as Sam Mitchell by the end of the year.
However, shortly afterwards, a spokesperson for the show insisted this was not the case, saying there were “no plans” for Danniella to return.
The actress has now done a massive U-turn on her original comments, insisting she was just “being polite” when asked about her desire to return.
She said in a statement (via The Mirror): “For the record, I have no interest in going back to ‘EastEnders’. I was being polite.
“I’m busy with new ventures and new beginnings,” she added.
Danniella previously told the ‘Loose Women’ panel: “There’s a lot of chance of me going back to ‘EastEnders’ at the moment.
“I love ‘EastEnders’, I just really wish we could film it in Marbella [where she lives]. I’ll probably be back there the end of this year.”
She first played Sam Mitchell on-and-off from 1990 until 2000, but amid her battle with drug addiction, the role was recast in 2002, with Kim Medcalf taking over until 2005.
When bosses decided to reintroduce the character in 2009, they opted to bring back Danniella, who remained on the show until 2010.
She returned to the show for four episodes last year, as Sam attended her mother Peggy’s funeral.
Danniella has attacked the soap on numerous occasions since then, most recently claiming bosses had used her for publicity.
Catch up on all the latest soap news and spoilers here.