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Gogglebox: Daniella Westbrook ‘seeking legal advice’ for ‘derogatory’ comments about her nose

Former EastEnders star accused the show of ‘bullying’

Jacob Stolworthy
Wednesday 18 November 2020 10:19 GMT
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Daniella Westbrook seeks legal advice after her nose was mocked on Gogglebox

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Daniella Westbrook has said she is seeking legal advice over "derogatory" comments made about her in Gogglebox.

The former EastEnders star explained that she was upset to find, while watching the show with her family, a joke about her nose had made the edit.

In last Friday's edition of the Channel 4 show (13 November), the Siddiqui family mocked Westbrook with comments about her nasal septum, which fell out while being addicted to cocaine in the 1990s.

When Baasit asked: "Would you rather have just one giant nostril or would you like to have just one giant eye?", his brother, Usar, said: “I’d like one giant eye.”

“You’d want to be a cyclops?” Baasit replied. Usar then wondered what he’d be called if he had one giant nostril. 

“They haven’t even given a name for that” he added, to which Baasit responded: “Yes, they have – that girl from EastEnders. Would you rather be a cyclops or a Daniella Westbrook?"

The trio, including their father Sid, are then seen laughing.

Westbrook, who played the first incarnation of Sam Mitchell in the BBC soap, criticised the show for broadcasting the remarks. 

“Thank you everyone for the support you gave me about the derogatory comments Channel 4 allowed the Siddiqui family to make,” she wrote on Twitter.

“My manager is seeking legal advice as trolling is not something we should take lightly.”

She continued by saying: "And I for one am in shock that [Gogglebox creator] Tania Alexander allowed that to make the edit.

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"The show has always been a favourite of myself and my family, was a real shame that we had to witness such cruel comments on World Kindness Day."

Westbrook's followers sent her messages of support and heavily criticised Gogglebox for airing the comments.

The Independent has contacted Channel 4 for comment.

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