Soap star Danniella Westbrook announces her dad's death
Danniella Westbrook's dad has died.
The 50-year-old actress - who is best known for playing Sam Mitchell on 'EastEnders' - has taken to social media to confirm that her dad Andrew passed away after he was previously diagnosed with dementia.
Danniella - who has a younger brother called Jay - wrote on X: "Held our hand till the end.
"Rest easy, Daddy .
"Jay and I will carry you in our hearts forever, and so will our children.
" We love you.. [heart and prayer emojis] (sic)"
The actress recently admitted that her dad was in particularly poor health.
She said on social media: "Losing my dad and praying for strength."
Danniella has been open about her dad's health issues in recent years.
The actress took to Instagram on Father's Day in 2022, when she paid a glowing tribute to her "amazing" dad amid his dementia struggle.
She wrote on the photo-sharing platform at the time: "Happy Father's Day to the amazing men in my life. The first, my dad who has dementia but luckily still remembers us all. Thank you dad for being amazing all our lives and we love you."
The soap star also admitted that her dad - who worked as a taxi driver - and her mum were both "very loving" towards her during her younger years.
However, Danniella revealed that they were both initially sceptical about her acting ambitions.
Danniella - who made her first appearance on 'EastEnders' in 1990 - told the Observer newspaper: "I came from a very loving family - you know, 2.4 children with a Volvo - and I was very horsey. I used to ride every weekend.
"But I always wanted to be famous. My mum and dad thought I'd grow out of it, but I didn't."