Actress held on DUI suspicion

Newport Beach police arrested actress and model Tawny Kitaen on suspicion of driving under the influence Saturday afternoon, a law enforcement official said.

Kitaen, 48, a Newport Beach resident, was driving near John Wayne Airport shortly before 3 p.m. when police pulled her over and arrested her on suspicion of driving under the influence, Newport Beach Sgt. Shontel Sherwood said.

Sherwood could not immediately say why police pulled Kitaen over.

“That’s still under investigation,” she said.

Kitaen was still in custody at the Newport Beach city jail as of 5 p.m. Saturday. Sherwood said.

Kitaen rose of fame in the 1980s after appearing in several music videos for the band Whitesnake.

She also was married to the band’s lead singer, David Coverdale, for two years.

More recently, Kitaen was part of the season two cast of the VH1 reality show “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” in 2008.

Kitaen faced felony drug charges in Orange County in 2006 for possession of cocaine. She entered into a drug treatment program to resolve the charges.