DESPITE threatening to sue the BBC for snubbing her on an Eastenders comeback, Danniella Westbrook once praised her replacement.
The former soap actress – who played Sam Mitchell in BBC One’s EastEnders – was cast aside as Kim Medcalf was cast as her old character in a reprise of the role.
Danniella, 48, lashed out over the weekend and threatened legal action against the broadcaster following the casting announcement.
But in a resurfaced clip from last year, Danniella revealed how she approached Kim many years ago about taking over the Sam role.
Danniella explained: “I had never seen Kim before, so I went up to her on the red carpet and I said: ‘Kim, I just wanted to say well done on the part. I know you took a lot of backlash and everything for stepping in, but you did a fantastic job. You’re a very talented actress and thank you for keeping Sam alive, keeping her going’.
“She was a little bit taken aback and said: ‘Thank you so much’.”
After it was announced Kim wold be reprising her Albert Square role, Danniella took to Twitter to praise her rival but threatened legal action against the BBC.
Defending her right to play the lap-dancer, the actress wrote on Twitter that her “legal team would be in touch” with the BBC over the row.
“Wishing Kym the best of luck at EastEnders, yet again this poor woman has to recreate a Samantha Mitchell as close to my last two recent comebacks on the Square,” Danniella penned.
“Go smash it darling. Oh but not to @bbceastenders, my legal team will be in touch,” she continued, before revealing her latest career venture.
“Bet you all can’t wait for my new book now can you,” Danniella said as she confirmed that she was busy writing her autobiography on Saturday night.
“Oh it’s going go way back to the things I’ve never told.”
The new book will be the third penned by Danniella – who previously wrote The Other Side Of Nowhere and Faith, Hope and Clarity.
Danniella previously opened up about being replaced on the soap as she suggested she “had not been contacted” about reprising her role.
Kim played Sam until 2005 when she abandoned son Ricky when she quit Walford.
