27 April 2023 , 11:28
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EastEnders fans will be delighted, and perhaps a bit surprised, when Rita Simons' Roxy makes a return to the soap this evening, six years after she was killed off.
Roxie appears as a figment of her daughter Amy's imagination during a family therapy session, after she and sister Ronnie drowned in 2017, following Ronnie's wedding.
Fans were devastated over the beloved pair's fate and have long called for them to be brought back, with Rita even admitting supporters send her scripts, showing how Roxie could make a triumphant return.
Away from the soap, Rita's life has been full of heartbreak, love and plenty of ups and downs.
Rita Simmons returns to EastEnders this evening as Roxy (rita_simonsofficial/Instagram)
Fan favourites Roxy and Ronnie died in 2017, causing fan outrage (BBC ONE)The star and mum-of-two is now happily in a relationship with former actor Ben Harlow, after the pair met while performing in Legally Blonde the Musical.
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However after Rita left Albert Square, she faced a very tough time, splitting from husband of 14 years Theo Silverston.
The actress had been "growing apart" from the hairdresser and they decided to end their relationship after a period of separation.
The split would go on to cause real damage as Rita started to struggle.
The star was not only dealing with the end of her 14-year marriage, she was working non-stop and soon found herself battling depression and insomnia as her weight plummeted.
Rita split from her husband Theo after leaving EastEnders
The star with her twin daughtersIn the end, the cocktail of stress, pressure and heartbreak caused her to suffer a nervous breakdown.
So it’s no wonder Rita describes the period as "one of the worst times" of her life.
In an interview with OK! Magazine, Rita said: "I was physically ill every other week and I lost loads of weight.
"Every night I would go on stage in the West End in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie having just had some fraught conversation with Theo, and later on having just received legal letters.
"And I would just cry, go on stage, come off, cry and respond.
"I also had terrible insomnia for about a year. When I’m unhappy, my sleep is the first thing to go and then the knock-on is the depression and anxiety."
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In 2019, while starring in the play The House On Cold Hill, the star had a nervous breakdown.
"My mind went to some major dark places," admitted Rita.
Speaking to The Sun she said: "There were some stairs on the set that I came on stage on, quite high at the top.
Rita and Ben met when performing on Legally Blonde The Musical (Robert Workman Photographer)"And I thought I could just chuck myself down. I didn’t want to die. I just wanted to hurt myself enough to go to hospital and have someone look after me. That was scary.
"There was my anxiety, depression and OCD, but in the centre of all of that there was a really sad divorce happening."
Rita says she and Theo, who are parents to twins Maiya and Jaimee, 16, have an amicable relationship.
Happily, the actress has now found love again with actor Ben Harlow, after they met in 2017 and began dating in 2020.
Rita's daughter Maiya stars in her own TV show, Silverpoint (Rita Simons/Instagram)Of her romance, Rita said Ben is "the loveliest man on the planet" and that it's only because she's "so happy" now she can see what a "mess" she was.
Rita is a proud mum to Maiya and Jamiee, with Maiya following in her mum’s acting footsteps and starring in BBC kids drama Silverpoint, which was nominated for two BAFTAs last year.
Jamiee, meanwhile is studying astrophysics and Rita describes her to the Mirror as "insanely smart and driven and disciplined.”