Danniella Westbrook sparks outrage as she claims Max Clifford was innocent of all sexual assaults he was convicted for
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Danniella Westbrook has sparked a huge backlash from fans after claiming Max Clifford was innocent of the crimes he was convicted for.
The former EastEnders actress made the comments after it was confirmed the disgraced PR guru had died aged 74 after suffering a heart attack in prison.
Clifford was serving an eight-year prison sentence after being convicted of a string of indecent assaults in 2014.
After hearing the news, Danniella tweeted: "RIP Max Clifford... you was always a gentleman to me and a good agent. I never ever believed any of the allegations made against you and I am so sad you've gone. rest in peace my friend."
(Image: Twitter)
The actresses was soon bombard with comments from outraged fans, who reminded her of Clifford's criminal record.
Responding to the criticism, defiant Daniella tweeted: "Can everyone just chill the f*** out please jeeeezzz #wow."
Danniella has since deleted her initial post about Clifford.
(Image: Getty)
On Sunday a Ministry of Justice (MoJ) spokesman confirmed Clifford had passed away in hospital.
Clifford was hospitalised earlier this week after collapsing twice behind bars in Cambridgeshire.
He suffered a cardiac arrest and was said to be in a "bad way" by his daughter.
"As with all deaths in custody, there will be an investigation by the independent Prisons and Probation Ombudsman," the spokesman said.
"Our condolences are with Mr Clifford 's family at this difficult time."
(Image: Getty)
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How PR superstar Max Clifford fell from grace: From celebrity publicist to convicted Operation Yewtree criminal
Yesterday, it was reported Clifford was fighting for his life following his collapses. It is understood the first incident occurred as he was trying to clean his prison cell.
He then collapsed again the following day and was "unconscious for several minutes".
The former celebrity publicist was serving his sentence in Littlehey Prison after being convicted of a string of indecent assaults in 2014.
He attacked four girls aged between 15 and 19 between 1977 and 1985.
His daughter Louise, 46, told the Mail on Sunday last night: "He collapsed in his cell on Thursday when he was trying to clean it, it was just too much.
"Next day he collapsed again and was unconscious for several minutes – though he doesn’t know how long."
(Image: PA)
Clifford was attended to by medics in prison who recommended he be taken to hospital, Louise said.
He then suffered a cardiac arrest on Friday.
"He’s in a bad way," Louise added.
She said her dad, a former friend to the stars, was being treated in a critical care unit.
The MoJ spokesman confirmed Clifford died in hospital today, although the exact time is unclear. He had already been in poor health following an earlier heart attack in August.
News of his death caps a dramatic fall from grace, which saw the ex-publicist go from being a successful businessman to a lonely, divorced, convicted criminal.
Born in Kingston-Upon-Thames on April 6, 1943, Clifford was the youngest of four children, who were raised in a relatively impoverished home.
He left school at 15 with no qualifications, but, in 1962, joined the EMI press office, where he worked with artists including The Beatles.
(Image: Daniel Scott)
When his boss, Syd Gillingham, quit the label to start his own PR firm, Clifford accompanied him.
That lasted until 1970 when, aged 27, he formed his own eponymous agency, Max Clifford Associates.
Although he represented the likes of Frank Sinatra and Muhammad Ali, Clifford actually became best-known for managing crude kiss-and-tell stories and low-brow, salacious PR stunts - perhaps most notably the infamous ‘Freddie Starr ate my hamster’ headline.
Later, he became known for his choice of undesirable clients, including OJ Simpson, Derek Hatton, Jade Goody and Rebecca Loos, who alleged an affair with David Beckham.
He also represented X Factor ’s Simon Cowell for more than a decade.
That professional relationship, like many others, ended abruptly in 2014 when Clifford was found guilty of eight counts of indecent assault.
(Image: AFP)
(Image: AFP)
He had been arrested several months earlier, in December 2012, as part of Operation Yewtree which also saw Stuart Hall and Jimmy Savile convicted of historic offences.
Jailing Clifford for eight years at Southwark Crown Court in May 2014, Judge Anthony Leonard told him: "These offences may have taken place a long time ago, when inappropriate and trivial sexual behaviour was more likely to be tolerated, but your offending was not trivial, but of a very serious nature."
The judge added that he thought the defendant's personality and position in the public eye were why the crimes had not been made public sooner.
He said: "The reason why they were not brought to light sooner was because of your own dominant character and your position in the world of entertainment which meant that your victims thought that you were untouchable, something that I think you too believed."
Clifford, who branded his accusers "fantasists", remained defiant ahead of his sentencing, saying: "I stand by everything I have said in the last 17 months."
(Image: Daily Mirror)
Some of his supporters broke down in tears as he was sentenced.
Describing his extensive charitable work, the judge said: "Although your charitable work has gone on for a long time after your offending stopped, I cannot ignore that for decades you were leading a double existence."
Clifford's convictions left him bankrupt - he reportedly owed £7.5 million to unsecured creditors.
He is survived by daughter Louise, who resulted from his 36-year marriage to Elizabeth Louise Porter, who died of lung cancer in 2003.
Seven years later, Clifford wed his former PA, Jo Westwood, in 2010, but they divorced in 2014.
By the time he appeared in court to successfully defend a historic accusation of indecent assault on a teenage girl in 2016, Clifford had swapped rubbing shoulders with A-list clients and reality TV stars for fellow inmates at the Category C Littlehey Prison.
(Image: Daily Mirror)
He vowed to clear his name - claiming he was wrongfully convicted three years ago - and said he was "an easy target" for financially motivated fantasists.
And while his defence that he was wrongly convicted of all allegations remained as vehement as ever, his resistance to the ageing process did not have the same stoicism.
Face drawn and body withered - Clifford told jurors he had lost two stone in weight since being jailed - the only colour left in his face was the final dark hues from his once bushy, jet black eye brows.
The deep tan was gone, replaced with a skin tone more befitting someone whose freedom was restricted to, he said, 30 minutes outside of a cell per day at times.
Clifford had been due to appeal against all his convictions early next year on the basis of fresh evidence.