Rita Simons | |
---|---|
Born | Rita Joanne Simons 10 March 1977 Whipps Cross, London, England |
Other names | Rita Silveston |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 2000–present |
Known for | Role of Roxy Mitchell in EastEnders |
Television | Mile High Dream Team London's Burning EastEnders I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Hollyoaks |
Spouse | Theo Silveston (m. 2004;sep. 2018) |
Children | 2 |
Relatives | Alan Sugar (uncle) |
Rita Joanne Simons (born 10 March 1977) is an English actress and singer. She is best known for portraying the role of Roxy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera EastEnders from 2007 to 2017, when her character was killed-off, alongside her on-screen character's sister Ronnie Mitchell (Samantha Womack). For her performance on the show Simons received many accolades, including the 2008 National Television Award for "Most Popular Newcomer".
Outside of EastEnders, Simons has appeared as contestant on the eighteenth series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! and has appeared in various theatre productions. In 2024, she joined the cast of the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks as Marie Fielding.
Simons was born on 10 March 1977 at Whipps Cross University Hospital in Whipps Cross, Leytonstone, London to Susan ( née Franks) and Mark Simons. [1] Both of her parents are Jewish. She has an older brother, Ben. Through her paternal aunt's marriage, Simons is the niece of billionaire businessman Lord Sugar. [2]
Before her acting career, Simons was in the group Girls@Play, who had a couple of hit singles before splitting up. Their songs included "Airhead" and a cover of Mel and Kim's "Respectable". [3] Simons then joined a different group called Charli with three other members, including Shar from the Paradiso Girls, and released a single titled "Feel Me". [4]
Simons made appearances in the Sky 1 dramas Dream Team (2002) and Mile High (2003; as Hannah), as well as the ITV drama London's Burning . [2]
On 11 May 2007, it was announced that she would be joining the cast of EastEnders as Roxy Mitchell, alongside Samantha Womack who played Roxy's sister Ronnie Mitchell. Of her role, Simons said: "I've always watched EastEnders and it's been my dream to become part of the Mitchell family." [5] [6] Simons temporarily departed from EastEnders in late 2015 (the character departed from screens from 1 January to 4 May 2016), allowing the actress to take part in a Snow White pantomime at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury, over the 2015–2016 Christmas and New Year period. [7] In August 2016, it was announced that Simons was leaving EastEnders along with Samantha Womack. Her on-screen character Roxy Mitchell drowned in a swimming pool in an episode broadcast on New Year's Day 2017, along with her sister Ronnie. [8] [9] Simons made a voiceover appearance in May 2019, during the return of Roxy's ex-husband Sean Slater (Robert Kazinsky), which saw him listen to a voicemail from Roxy on an old mobile phone. She made a cameo reappearance on 27 April 2023, as Roxy imagined by her daughter Amy during a family counselling session. [10]
Simons appeared as Paulette Bonafonte in the 2017–2018 UK tour of Legally Blonde: the Musical in 2017.
On 12 November 2018, Simons was confirmed to be participating as a contestant on the eighteenth series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! . [11] She was the fourth to be eliminated on 4 December 2018.
In 2019, Simons played the role of ‘Miss Hedge’ in the hit musical Everybody's Talking About Jamie at the Apollo Theatre. She was to take on the role of Velma von Tussle in the 2021 revival of Hairspray at the London Coliseum. In 2022, she joined the cast of TV show, Professor T .
She participated in Pilgrimage: The Road Through Portugal , aired in 2023, a BBC Two series dedicated to a pilgrimage to Fátima, Portugal, with six other celebrities. She was the only Jewish pilgrim and had the chance to visit a former synagogue in Tomar. [12]
In 2023, it was announced that Simons would be joining the cast of the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks . She is set to take over the role of Marie Fielding, the mother of established character Joel Dexter (Rory Douglas-Speed) and will make her debut in 2024. [13]
In December 2009, Simons visited her old secondary school, Watford Grammar School for Girls, to open the Christmas fair. [14]
In December 2010, Simons launched the RNID Christmas Concert where she announced that her five-year-old daughter is deaf.
In July 2011, Simons held an autograph session at the St Nicholas Primary School summer fair in Elstree. [15]
In December 2011, Simons hosted the annual Action on Hearing Loss concert along with the Mayor of Camden, Councillor Abdul Quadir.
Simons appeared on an episode of Big Star's Little Star , broadcast on 1 April 2015, and won £13,000 for charity.
In August 2004, she married hairdresser Theo Silveston. [16] They have twin daughters. The couple separated in 2018.
Simons is best friends with co-star Samantha Womack, who played her on-screen sister Ronnie Mitchell. [17] She is also good friends with Danniella Westbrook, who played her on-screen cousin Sam Mitchell.
Simons has been diagnosed with scoliosis. [18]
In July 2018, Simons revealed that she has been diagnosed with ADHD, OCD, anxiety and insomnia. [19]
Year | Show | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2002 | Dream Team | Prostitute | Episode: "Danny and Peggsy Go Large" |
2003 | Mile High | Hannah | 1 episode #1.4 |
2007–2017, 2019, 2023 | EastEnders | Roxy Mitchell | 974 episodes |
2007–2013 | BBC Children in Need | Roxy Mitchell / Herself | |
2009 | All Star Mr & Mrs | ||
2009, 2022 | The Weakest Link | Herself | Contestant |
2009–2011 | EastEnders Revealed | Including clips of Simons' portrayal as Roxy | |
2011 | All Star Family Fortunes | ||
Epic Win! | |||
2012–2013 | Celebrity Juice | ||
2012 | My Daughter, Deafness and Me | ||
2012, 2019 | Celebrity Chase | ||
2013 | I Love My Country | Panelist | |
Pointless Celebrities | Contestant | ||
2015 | EastEnders: Back to Ours | Including clips of Simons' portrayal as Roxy | |
Big Star's Little Star | Contestant | ||
2016 | The One Show | Herself / Roxy Mitchell | Peggy Mitchell's final episode |
2017 | Tipping Point: Lucky Stars | Herself | Contestant |
2018 | I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! | Contestant; eliminated fourth | |
2018–2021 | Lorraine | 3 episodes | |
2019 | The Stages of My Life | ||
Piers Morgan's Life Stories | Guest; Alan Sugar's niece | ||
Loose Women | Guest | ||
2020 | House of Games | Contestant | |
Harry Redknapp's Sandbanks Summer | |||
Hey Tracey! | Special guest | ||
Celebrity Supermarket Sweep | |||
2021 | Britain's Brightest Celebrity Family | Contestant; semi-finalist | |
Celebrity MasterChef | Contestant | ||
2022 | Professor T | Debbie Sanderson | Episode: "DNA of a Murderer" [20] |
2024 | Hollyoaks | Marie Fielding | Regular role |
2024 | Drama Queens | Herself | Upcoming series [21] |
Year | Show | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2018 | The Krays: Dead Man Walking | Lisa Prescott |
Year | Show | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | Queen Ivannah | Marlowe Theatre |
2017 | Aladdin | Scheherazade | Beck Theatre |
Legally Blonde: The Musical | Paulette Bonafonte | Tour | |
2018 | Sleeping Beauty | Carabosse | Pavilion Theatre, Bournemouth |
2019 | Sleeping Beauty | Carabosse | Alban Arena |
The House on Cold Hill | Caro Harcourt | Tour | |
Everybody's Talking About Jamie | Miss Hedge | Apollo Theatre | |
2021 | Hairspray | Velma von Tussle | London Coliseum |
Sleeping Beauty | Carabosse | Derby Arena | |
2022 | Peter Pan | Captain Hook | Hawth Theatre |
2023 | Beauty and the Beast | Enchantress | Assembly Hall Theatre |
Year | Award | Category | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2008 | 2008 National Television Awards | Most Popular Newcomer | Won [22] |
2008 Inside Soap Awards | Best Newcomer | Won [23] | |
2008 Digital Spy Soap Awards | Won [24] | ||
Best On-Screen Partnership (with Samantha Janus) | Won [24] | ||
2008 TV Now Awards | Favourite Newcomer to Irish (with Samantha Janus) | Won [25] [26] | |
2008 British Soap Awards | Best Newcomer | Nominated [27] | |
Best On-Screen Partnership (with Samantha Janus) | Nominated [27] | ||
Sexiest Female | Nominated [27] | ||
2008 TV Quick and TV Choice Awards | Best Newcomer | Nominated [28] | |
2009 | 2009 All About Soap Bubble Awards | Fatal Attraction (with Robert Kazinsky) | Nominated [29] |
2009 TV Now Awards | Favourite Female Soap Star | Nominated [30] | |
2011 | 2011 British Soap Awards | Sexiest Female | Shortlisted [31] |
Samantha Zoe Womack is an English actress, singer, model and director who has worked in film, television and stage. Womack initially planned a career in singing and she represented the United Kingdom in the 1991 Eurovision Song Contest. Her song for the contest, "A Message to Your Heart", was released as her only single in April 1991 and reached number 30 in the UK Singles Chart.
Glynis Barber is a South African actress. She is known for her portrayals of Sgt. Harriet Makepeace in the British police drama Dempsey and Makepeace, Glenda Mitchell in EastEnders, DCI Grace Barraclough in Emmerdale, Norma Crow in Hollyoaks, Fiona Brake in Night and Day, and Soolin in Blake's 7.
Scott Alexander Maslen is an English actor and model, best known for his portrayal as DS Phil Hunter in the ITV police drama series The Bill and Jack Branning in the BBC soap opera EastEnders since 2007. He also took part in the 2010 series of Strictly Come Dancing and the 2015 series of Celebrity MasterChef. He portrayed Claude Speed in the live-action trailer for Grand Theft Auto 2 in 1999.
Aunt Sal is a recurring fictional character in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Anna Karen Introduced in 1996, she appeared sporadically from 21 March 1996 until 29 December 1997, then from 28 September 2001 until 17 September 2004, 19 July 2007 until 4 April 2011 and 22 November 2013 to 20 January 2017. She appears for just a few episodes at a time and has been collectively featured in 58 episodes of the show.
Roxanne Lizette "Roxy" Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, portrayed by Rita Simons. Roxy arrived in Walford with her sister Ronnie on 24 July 2007 and decides to move permanently to Walford from Ibiza where they ran a bar together. Roxy is the younger of the two sisters. She is described as the "fire", as opposed to Ronnie's "ice". Simons took a temporary hiatus in 2016, with Roxy off screen from 1 January until 4 May 2016. Following the announcement that Womack would be leaving the series, Simons' departure was also announced. Roxy departed the series in scenes broadcast on 1 January 2017, when she drowned in a hotel swimming pool along with Ronnie. Simons returned in 2019 to record a voiceover as Roxy, which was broadcast on 3 May 2019. A younger version of Roxy, played by Elodie de Rohan Willner, appeared in a flashback episode broadcast on 5 September 2022, which focuses on the Mitchell family in the 1970s. Simons reprised her role on 27 April 2023 for a one-off appearance as a hallucination to her daughter, Amy Mitchell.
Jack Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Scott Maslen. He made his first appearance on 29 October 2007. He is the youngest child of Jim and Reenie Branning and the brother of April Branning, Carol Jackson, Derek Branning, Suzy Branning and Max Branning. The character was introduced to the show during a period when EastEnders was being routinely criticised in the media for its reliance on resurrecting old characters. The casting of Maslen provoked some controversy, being the first time an actor had been poached from one mainstream soap to another. It was quickly established that Jack is a morally ambiguous character with a murky past in the police force resulting in the paralysis of his young daughter, Penny. Tabloid media have praised the character for his role as resident Romeo, commenting frequently on his good looks and attractiveness, although broadsheet press have been more critical of Maslen's acting. On 1 July 2019, Maslen filmed his 1,000th episode as Jack.
Veronica Elizabeth "Ronnie" Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Samantha Womack. She and her younger sister Roxy Mitchell were introduced by executive producer Diederick Santer in July 2007. Ronnie is described as the "ice" to Roxy's "fire". As an extension to the already established Mitchell family, Ronnie quickly became a prominent character, taking over the square’s local nightclub. She later formed an on-off relationship with her business partner, Jack Branning.
Archibald Lionel "Archie" Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Larry Lamb. He first appeared on 8 July 2008 as a newest member of the Mitchell family—who had first appeared on the soap in 1990—and became the show's main antagonist until the character was killed-off on Christmas Day 2009; with Archie making his last appearance as a corpse on 28 December 2009 and later serving as a posthumous impact throughout the majority of 2010, which involves making a brief voice appearance on 19 July 2010 on a family video tape overheard by his ex-wife Glenda and their two daughters Ronnie and Roxy respectively.
"The Secret Mitchell" was a storyline in the BBC soap opera EastEnders involving the characters of Ronnie Mitchell and Danielle Jones. The build-up to the storyline began in the episode broadcast on 18 August 2008 in which Danielle was introduced as a friend for Stacey Slater and a love interest for Callum Monks. The storyline gained more pace in October 2008 when it was revealed that Danielle was actually the daughter of Ronnie and that she came to Walford to find her.
Glenda Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Glynis Barber. The character first appeared in the programme on 7 January 2010. She was axed in February 2011, departing on 8 March 2011. She later returned for two episodes in January 2016 and three in May 2016. She made an unannounced return on the 30 December 2016 episode for the departures of her two daughters. She made her second departure from the show on 10 February 2017. Glenda has been described as "complex", "vulnerable"," "demure, dynamic and assured". She is the former wife of Archie Mitchell ; and mother of both her son Danny and Archie's two daughters Ronnie and Roxy.
Danny Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by soap newcomer Liam Bergin, who appeared from 21 January 2010 to 18 June 2010. He, along with his mother Glenda, made a previously unannounced return on 30 December 2016, before departing again on 20 January 2017.
"Who Killed Archie?" is a storyline from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. It began on 25 December 2009, Christmas Day, when the character Archie Mitchell, played by Larry Lamb, was murdered by an unseen person. Events leading up to and following the murder put several characters in the frame, in the style of a Whodunit mystery. The culprit was kept a tight secret within the production crew as well, with only seven people knowing the identity of the killer. The murderer was revealed as Stacey Slater during a live episode titled "EastEnders Live", broadcast on 19 February 2010, the show's 25th anniversary. Turner was told thirty minutes before the broadcast that Stacey was the killer, and actors rehearsed several possible endings. Finally, a two-hander episode between Stacey and her ex-lover Max Branning on 26 March 2010 explained how she killed Archie - who had previously been the show's main antagonist prior to the character's death and murder storyline.
"EastEndersLive" is a live episode of the British television soap opera EastEnders, broadcast on BBC One on 19 February 2010. It was also simulcast to Irish viewers on RTÉ One. The episode was commissioned as part of the show's 25th anniversary celebrations, and was the first EastEnders episode to be broadcast live. It was the series' 3,952nd episode, and was written by Simon Ashdown, directed by Clive Arnold and produced by Diederick Santer. The episode concludes a "Whodunit" storyline "Who Killed Archie?", about the murder of Archie Mitchell, revealing his killer to be Stacey Slater. It also sees the exit of Charlie Clements as Stacey's husband Bradley Branning, who dies after falling from the roof of The Queen Victoria public house.
Michael Moon is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Steve John Shepherd. The character is a second cousin once removed of Alfie Moon, and first appears on 1 October 2010 after Alfie's return. He is also the father to Tommy Moon, whose mother is Alfie's wife Kat Moon. Michael is later joined by his father Eddie Moon and half brothers Tyler Moon and Anthony Moon.
Sean Michael O'Connor is an English producer, writer, and director working in theatre, film, television and radio. He was the editor of the long-running BBC radio drama, The Archers from 2013 to 2016 and executive producer of EastEnders from 2016 to 2017.
Carl White is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Daniel Coonan. He first appears in the 4660th episode, originally broadcast in the United Kingdom on 20 June 2013. Carl is the ex-boyfriend of Kirsty Branning, and his storylines include tracking down cash owed to him by Derek Branning – which Ian Beale has used to open a restaurant; trying to win Kirsty back; a relationship with Roxy Mitchell ; his feuds with Roxy's cousin Phil and Derek's brother Max ; blackmailing Ian for money; and developing a conflict with Roxy's sister Ronnie that ultimately results in his downfall. He became the show's main antagonist up until his death on 1 January 2014. The character was axed in September 2013 and departed in the episode first broadcast in the UK on 1 January 2014, a joint broadcast of episodes 4775 and 4776, after being killed by Ronnie.
Charlie Cotton is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Declan Bennett. He first appeared on 10 March 2014. He was introduced as the grandson of established character Dot Branning, played by June Brown, and the son of original character Nick Cotton. The character and casting was announced on 22 January 2014. Charlie arrived to inform Dot, who was unaware of his existence, that Nick had died, but it later transpired that this was not the truth as Nick returned in October. His storylines have included: his desperation to keep Nick's fake death secret; his relationships with Dot and mother Yvonne Cotton ; a one-night stand with Ronnie Mitchell which resulted in her pregnancy and their marriage; the car accident that resulted in the birth of his son, Matthew Mitchell Cotton and Ronnie being left in a coma; his affair with Ronnie's sister, Roxy Mitchell ; the breakdown of his marriage; and his subsequent departure.
Vincent Hubbard is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Richard Blackwood. He was introduced by executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins during the show's 30th anniversary celebrations, and was later revealed to be the husband of Kim Fox. He made his first appearance on 17 February 2015 during the show's 5015th episode, and returned on two occasions on 19 February, one of which was in a flashback episode in which he gives Ronnie Mitchell a gun. During these appearances, he is only credited as "Vincent", concealing his connection to Kim. He returned as a regular character on 21 April 2015.