Rita Joanne Simons (born 10 March 1977) is an English actress and singer from London. She is best known for playing 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. On 12 November 2018, Simons was confirmed to be participating in that year's series of '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!''. She was the fourth to be eliminated on 4 December 2018.

Personal life

Simons was born at

Whipps Cross University Hospital Whipps Cross University Hospital is a large university hospital in the locality of Whipps Cross in Leytonstone and is within Epping Forest in the London Borough of Waltham Forest, London, England. It is managed by Barts Health NHS Trust. Hist ...

in Whipp Cross, Leytonstone, London. She is Susan (née Franks) and Mark Simons daughter. Both of her parents are

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

. She has an older brother, Ben. Through her paternal aunt's marriage, Simons is the niece of billionaire businessman Lord Sugar, who is best known for appearing in the BBC reality series '' The Apprentice''. In August 2004, she married hairdresser Theo Silverston. 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. She is also good friends with Danniella Westbrook, who played her on-screen cousin Sam Mitchell. Simons has been diagnosed with

scoliosis Scoliosis is a condition in which a person's spine has a sideways curve. The curve is usually "S"- or "C"-shaped over three dimensions. In some, the degree of curve is stable, while in others, it increases over time. Mild scoliosis does not t ...

. In July 2018, Simons revealed that she has been diagnosed with ADHD, OCD,

anxiety Anxiety is an emotion which is characterized by an unpleasant state of inner turmoil Turmoil may refer to: * ''Turmoil'' (1984 video game), a 1984 video game released by Bug-Byte * ''Turmoil'' (2016 video game), a 2016 indie oil tycoon video ...

and

insomnia Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder in which people have trouble sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low energy ...

Career

Music

Before her acting career, Simons was in the group Girls@Play, who had a couple of

hit single A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...

s before splitting up. Their songs included "Airhead" and a cover of Mel and Kim's "

Respectable Respectable may refer to: *Having significant social status * "Respectable" (Rolling Stones song), 1978 single * "Respectable" (Mel and Kim song), 1987 single *"Respectable", a 1960 single by The Isley Brothers, a 1965 album cover by the Yard ...

". 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".

Acting

Simons has made appearances in the

Sky 1 Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non- terrestrial channel. From 31 July 19 ...

dramas ''

Dream Team Dream Team may refer to: Sport Basketball * Dream Team, the 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team in Barcelona * Dream Team II, the 1994 U.S. men's national basketball team at the FIBA World Championship * Dream Team III, the 1996 ...

'' (2002) and ''

Mile High ''Mile High'' is a British television drama based on the lives of the cabin crew members of Fresh!, a budget airline based in London. The name of the show is a reference to the Mile High Club. The show was broadcast on Sky1 from 2003 to 20 ...

'' (2003; as Hannah), as well as the ITV drama '' London's Burning''. 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." 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 "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is a 19th-century German fairy tale that is today known widely across the Western world. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'' and numbered as ...

'' pantomime at the

Marlowe Theatre The Marlowe Theatre is a 1,200-seat theatre in Canterbury named after playwright Christopher Marlowe, who was born and attended school in the city. It was named a Stage Awards, 2022 UK Theatre of the Year. The Marlowe Trust, a not for prof ...

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

, over the 2015–2016 Christmas and New Year period. 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. Simons appeared as Paulette Bonafonte in the 2017–2018 UK tour of '' Legally Blonde: the Musical'' in 2017. 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 The London Coliseum (also known as the Coliseum Theatre) is a theatre in St Martin's Lane, Westminster, built as one of London's largest and most luxurious "family" variety theatres. Opened on 24 December 1904 as the London Coliseum Theatre ...

. In 2022, she joined the cast of TV show, ''

Professor T ''Professor T.'' may refer to: * ''Professor T.'' (Belgian TV series) - the original series, which ran for 3 seasons in 2015, 2016 and 2018 (titled simply "T" in Masterpiece Theatre's US airing). * ''Professor T.'' (German TV series) - 2017 rema ...

''.

Charity work

In December 2009, Simons visited her old secondary school, Watford Grammar School for Girls, to open the Christmas fair. 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 Elstree is a large village in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire, England. It is about northwest of central London on the former A5 road, that follows the course of Watling Street. In 2011, its population was 5,110. It forms part of the ...

. In December 2011, Simons hosted the annual Action on Hearing Loss concert along with the Mayor of Camden, Councillor Abdul Quadir. She appeared on a '' Big Star's Little Star'' episode, broadcast on 1 April 2015, and won £13,000 for charity.

Filmography

Television

Film

Theatre

Accolades

References

External links

* * *
''Inside Soap'' Awards 2008
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simons, Rita 1977 births Living people English people of Jewish descent English Jews Jewish English actresses English female models English television actresses English soap opera actresses People with obsessive–compulsive disorder People educated at Watford Grammar School for Girls 21st-century English women singers 21st-century English singers I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (British TV series) participants