Danielle Westbrook has revealed she will pay a “huge” tribute to her late wife Barbara Windsor by starring in the adults-only West End pantomime Cinderfell.
Returning to acting for the first time since EastEnders returning in 2016, the 48-year-old is set to play the Fairy Godmother, a role her former co-star famously played before his death in December 2020 after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease disease.
In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, Danielle praised ‘sassy’ actress Peggy Mitchell and revealed how she will be taking inspiration from the ‘little sex symbol’ for her latest risque project in December.
EXCLUSIVE: Danniella Westbrook has revealed she will pay a ‘huge’ tribute to her late wife Barbara Windsor by starring in an adults-only pantomime of Cinderfell.
She began: “I last acted six years ago but I said earlier this year, just three months ago on This Morning, that I would be back in the theater and preferably in the West End. And like magic, my agent got me the job!
“I’ve played a fairy godmother before, but not since Barbara died, so I’ll be giving her a big nod tonight.
“We’ll have a lot of little hints and things like that. Personally, it would be nice for me to do that.
“I play the fairy godmother and Barbara has always done that, so it’s a great reward for me to be put in that position.”
Tragic: Peggy Mitchell icon Barbara died in December 2020 aged 83 after battling Alzheimer’s disease (pictured right with Danielle left in 2002)
The Walthamstow native worked alongside the Carry On icon in the 90s and 2000s on EastEnders, starting when Danielle was just 21.
She gushed: “I learned a lot from Barr. Mainly about acting, but generally about how we treat people, members of the public and people who support us in our work and our journey. She taught me to be humble and stay true to myself.
“Barbara was always sassy and a little sex symbol, you know, a tiny bundle of fun. She was our little pocket rocket and we loved her to bits.
She is sorely missed both in the world of theater and on 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 made famous by her former co-star (Barbara pictured in 2010)
Daniella has left little to the imagination in her recent social media snaps and teased her character in the 18+ pun, written by Big Brother’s Simon Gross, can be just as raunchy.
She said: “I don’t know what outfits Simon has planned for this year, but I’m sure some of them will be a bit risqué.
“I have other bits and pieces coming up as to what those Instagram posts were really for, but that’s a whole other story.”
Ex, I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! The campmate is currently filming Cinderfell for one night only on December 12, but revealed she is in talks to book other dates due to high demand.
Racey: Danielle left little to the imagination in her recent social media snaps and teased her character in the 18+ film, which can be just as raunchy
She said: “At the moment the only date I have there is the 12th but we have a few other dates we are in talks about and we haven’t announced them yet.
“Literally, the twelfth is almost sold out. We just released it two days ago. We haven’t announced 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-hearted or the daring,” as the ad describes.
The ‘Sinderfella’ route will run from 9 to 22 December in London’s Prince of Wales Park, Dury Lane.
Exciting: She’s due to star in Sinderfell for one night only on December 12, but has revealed she’s in talks to sign on for other dates. Writer Simon [right] stars as The Ugly Sister Jordan
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