£50,000 for actress Brooke Kinsella's theatre fall

Former EastEnders star Brooke Kinsella has won more than £50,000 damages after falling down a dark spiral staircase in a West End theatre.

Kinsella, 25, fractured her elbow after tripping on her way to the dressing room at the Soho Theatre.

The actress, whose 16-year-old brother Ben was stabbed to death in Islington last summer, continued with her performance. But the day after the fall in May 2005, she went to hospital in pain and had to undergo two operations.

Central County Court heard she still suffers restricted movement and may face another operation. She was awarded the sum after the Soho Theatre Company was found to be negligent and to have breached lighting regulations.

Judge Bailey said Kinsella did not get any acting work for a year after the fall.

She missed out on roles, including a £10,000 part to play a substitute in reality TV show The Games, as well as potential parts in Sky TV's Dream Team and the film Permanent Vacation.

On the day of the accident Kinsella was playing a pregnant girl in a 10- minute play, written by a competition winner. The court heard she fell on a staircase that was only lit by natural light.

The judge said: "She said that she could not see her feet. As the complainant reached the bottom of the stairs she missed her footing and fell, injuring her left elbow. Miss Kinsella was in very considerable pain. She was in a very dazed and painful condition.

"However, in what may be said to be in the very finest tradition of the stage, she was determined to continue with her performance."

Kinsella only returned to acting in June 2006.

The theatre argued it needed to keep the area dark because it did not want light leaking on stage. The judge said there was no excuse when performances were not going on.