30 December 2023 , 15:51
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It has been almost seven years since Ronnie and Roxy Mitchell were brutally killed off on EastEnders - and many fans are still not over it.
The sisters were fan favourites but met a heartbreaking end on January 1 2017 when Roxy passed out in a swimming pool. Ronnie dived in to try to save her but was pulled underwater by the weight of her wedding dress. Both characters tragically drowned.
To this day, EastEnders fans continue to beg show bosses to somehow resurrect the duo - even though Ronnie’s dead body was seen on-screen in a morgue after the heartbreaking death.
Following the explosive Christmas 2023 episode of the BBC soap, one fan took to social media and posed the question “You can bring one character back to a TV programme that’s still going. Who do you choose?” and many voted for Ronnie and Roxy, with one tagging an EastEnders screenwriter and desperately pleading: "Ronnie and Roxy Mitchell! I don’t care how they do it but please reverse all of it @chris_clenshaw."
Samantha Womack's career has blossomed since she quit EastEnders (Getty Images)
She played Ronnie Mitchell from 2007 until 2017 (BBC/Jack Barnes)While the sisters can’t be brought back from the dead, the actresses behind the duo are still working hard - featuring on stage and screen in the years since they exited the soap. Here’s a look at what the actors are up to - and how fans feel about their characters being killed off.
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Ronnie Mitchell
Veronica ‘Ronnie’ Mitchell was played by 51-year-old Samantha Womack and featured on the BBC soap from 2007 until 2017. Samantha had her big break in 1991 when she represented the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest with her Top 30 charting song A Message To Your Heart - but failed to take the crown and ended in 10th place.
Her acting career then took off and she had roles in popular shows Pie In The Sky, Game On and the supernatural show Strange. She featured on EastEnders first from 2007 until 2011 and then returned in 2013 before her character was killed off four years later.
Since quitting EastEnders, however, Samantha’s career has continued to thrive - with roles in Hollywood blockbuster movies Kingsman: The Secret Service and sequel The Golden Circle, roles on the crime drama Silent Witness, and stage shows in adaptations of The Addams Family, The Girl on the Train, and plenty of Panto.
Rita Simons will soon return to soapland with a new role on Hollyoaks (rita_simonsofficial/Instagram)
She played Roxy Mitchell from 2007 until 2017 - but returned via a voicemail in 2019 and as a vision in 2023 (BBC/Kieron McCarron)Roxy Mitchell
Roxanne Lizette 'Roxy' Mitchell - and also known as Roxy Slater after she wed Sean Slater - was played by 46-year-old Rita Simons on the soap from 2007 until 2017. Unlike Ronnie, Roxy made two surprise reappearances on EastEnders even though she died - with her voice featuring in an episode in 2019 when Sean listened to an old message from her, while her ghost appeared in an episode in 2023.
Soon after quitting EastEnders, Rita was a contestant on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! which she competed on in 2018 but was voted off after the fourth vote. She featured in a low-budget thriller movie called The Krays: Dead Man Walking the same year, and has mainly appeared on TV in celebrity game shows and on talk shows.
In 2023, her return to soap was announced as she was cast in Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks. Show bosses announced the news in July, teasing: "Rita's new character will certainly ruffle feathers and is set to stir the pot... Hollyoaks fans can expect plenty of fireworks."
EastEnders fans were fuming when Ronnie and Roxy were killed off (BBC/Jack Barnes)How did fans react to Roxy and Ronnie’s deaths?
To say fans were upset over the deaths of Roxy and Ronnie Mitchell could be an understatement. The duo were firm favourites among EastEnders fans - and many were devastated when they were killed off on New Year’s Day in 2017.
Many fans vowed to boycott the show after the shock death scene aired. One fan fumed on social media after the tragic scenes: “@bbceastenders why do you always kill the best characters?? I'm never watching again” While another blasted: “what is eastenders without ronnie n roxy though wtf”
When her exit was announced, Samantha’s agent said in a statement: "Sam has had an incredibly happy and fulfilling time on EastEnders over the last few years. She has huge respect for the show, writers and producers and has thoroughly enjoyed playing such a complex role that has been involved in so many tough and challenging storylines."
While Rita hinted she felt conflicted over leaving the show. She said back in 2016 just before her character was killed off: "Obviously I knew that I couldn't stay there forever, and I didn't want to stay there forever. The problem is, because I love everyone so much there and it's such a family environment, you get very used to being there."
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