She recovered, but was left with badly scarred breasts, and it looked like the former glamour girl might never regain her body-confidence.
But, after undergoing life-changing reconstructive surgery last month – taking her to a natural-looking 32C – Danielle, 28, has bravely chosen to share a photo taken before the op - seen exclusively in this week's Closer magazine. She says: “It’s embarrassing, but I don’t want people to think: ‘Oh, she’s had another boob job.’ I want everyone to see the seriousness of what I went through,” she says.
And now, feeling better about her body than ever, Danielle has revealed the results of her latest surgery in an exclusive Closer photo shoot.
“I know I shouldn’t care what people think, but I do. I’ve cried a lot and felt angry. I’ve wondered why this happened to me.”
Adding that she’ll never have another boob job, she says: “Things happen for a reason. I’ve realised that it’s not worth risking your health for the sake of vanity. I’m alive, I have a wonderful husband and two kids who love me the way I am – that’s all that matters.”
Danielle – who’s mum to Archie, two, and Harry, 15 months, with her footballer husband Jamie O’Hara, 26 – adds: “So many young women rush into surgery, but big boobs look silly. I won’t be getting bigger implants. If I ever get tempted, all I need to do is look at my pre-op photo again.”
For her latest reconstructive op, Danielle turned to Mr Mysore Chandrashekar, a consultant cosmetic surgeon at Liverpool’s Linda McCartney Centre. They first met in 2007, when Danielle found a lump in her breast just before going on Celebrity Big Brother.
“Thankfully, the lump was benign, but I learnt about the amazing reconstructive work he does for women with breast cancer,” says Danielle, who paid for her op privately.
She says: “Breast cancer is such a terrifying thing. It was traumatic when I had to have my implants taken out this year, but I wasn’t going to die. These women had their lives hanging in the balance. Remembering meeting them helped put my situation into perspective.
“They were truly inspirational –so brave and strong. That’s another reason why the work at the centre is so vital. As well as offering amazing medical care, the women are able to support each other.”
Earlier this year, Danielle spent months discussing her surgery with Mr Chandrashekar. She says: “There was no guarantee I could have new implants, because of my scarring, and the possibility of having another blood clot.”
On the day of her surgery, Danielle reveals she was “terrified,” saying: “My legs were shaking.” Mr Chandrashekar used different sized implants to take Danielle to a 32C, as so much flesh was missing from her left breast. She will have more surgery in three months, to realign her left nipple and treat loose skin on her right breast.
Danielle, who first went from a natural A cup to a 32D aged 21, had another op to go up to a 32DD in 2007, and her third boob job this January, taking her to an F-cup.
But she was forced to have the implants removed two weeks later, when her breasts started swelling and her stitches ruptured due to a build-up of milk – despite the fact that Danielle hadn’t breastfed for six months,.
And, when doctors found the life-threatening blood clot during the procedure, she underwent an emergency blood transfusion. She then needed more surgery a week later, when her right breast continued to swell. Doctors discovered it was due to milk leaking into the breast and she was put on tablets to stop the milk production.
After her ordeal, the 5ft 7 model’s weight plummeted from 9st to a tiny 8st and her breasts shrank to a 32AA. The trauma of three operations, a blood transfusion and scarring to her breasts, left Danielle stressed out and unable to eat.
She recalls: “I was exhausted and couldn’t even pick my kids up or look after them. It took everything out of me.
“I didn’t mind having smaller breasts, but > I needed to treat the disfiguration. I hated looking in the mirror at times”
“I didn’t mind having smaller breasts, but I needed to treat the disfiguration. I hated looking in the mirror at times,” she adds.
Danielle’s latest surgery came weeks after pictures of her in a pink and blue bikini, on holiday in Marbella, sparked cruel jibes on Twitter. She says: “I was mortified when I saw those photos and thought, ‘No wonder people are saying things like flat tyres for boobs.’”
She adds that Jamie helped her cope with the online abuse, saying: “He said: ‘Why are you bothered? You’re beautiful and a good mum.’”
Now, Danielle says getting in front of the cameras again has helped her confidence. She says: “I’d like to think the photos from Closer’s shoot will silence my haters but, ultimately, I did this for me and for others in my situation. We all want to feel sexy.”
She adds: “I’ve struggled being naked in front of Jamie, even though he has been amazing. I needed to go under the knife to fix the disfiguring and extensive scar damage. Now I just want to get back to being a mum.”
So, what does Jamie think of his wife’s new breasts? “He loves them and thinks they’re the perfect size for my frame. He only told me afterwards he hated my F-cup implants,” Danielle explains. “Now he’s splashing out on lingerie from Victoria’s Secret!”