'EastEnders' Actress Rita Simons Follows Samantha Womack Out Of Albert Square

The actress has been playing Roxy Mitchell for nine years.
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Another ‘EastEnders’ favourite is bowing out, with the departure of actress Rita Simons after nine years.

Last week brought the news of Samantha Womack’s decision to quit after a decade of playing Ronnie Mitchell, now it seems her baby sister Roxy is going with her, as Rita thanks her fans today for all of their support.

A BBC spokesperson for the show has confirmed that Rita will be leaving ‘Eastenders’.

They reveal: “Having joined the show in 2007, Rita immediately won the hearts of the audience in the role of Roxy Mitchell and between her and Samantha Womack they created one of the most iconic duos EastEnders has ever seen.

“Alongside Samantha, Rita was recently offered to take part in the same big storyline that will see the Mitchell sisters depart Walford, but we will not be releasing any further details at this time. We wish Rita all the best for the future.”

Rita has been playing Roxy for nine years
Rita has been playing Roxy for nine years
BBC

That’s all we’re getting in terms of plot spoilers for the months ahead, but it seems the pair won’t be going quietly.

During her time on the soap, Samantha Womack was involved in a number of huge storylines, including the controversial cot death plot, which saw her baby son James die.

Ronnie then swapped her baby with Kat and Alfie’s son, and the actress later spoke out about how difficult it was to film.

She then left the soap after reportedly telling a friend that the storyline had given her “four weeks of living hell”, and later returned in 2013.

While Samantha and Rita are now departing, there have been a number of new arrivals in recent weeks, including that of Grant Mitchell’s secret son, Mark Fowler Jr.

Catch up on all the latest soap news and spoilers here.

Jo Joyner

EastEnders: Where Are They Now?

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