EastEnders star Rita Simons bravely opened up about her mental health battles throughout her career in the public eye, but now the actress tells Closer she’s the happiest she’s been in a long time.
Rita, 46, says, “It’s no secret that I’ve been through a rough few years. I got divorced and had my breakdowns, but now I’m in the most wonderful place outside of work that I have been in years.”
The soap star rose to fame in 2007 when she joined EastEnders as the feisty Roxy Mitchell, and she still remains best friends with her on-screen sister Samantha Womack and on-screen cousin Danniella Westbrook. She left the show in 2017 after 10 years, and starred on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! the following year.
Her personal life has also hit the headlines over the years. She split from husband of 14 years Theo Silveston – with whom she shares twins Jaimee and Maiya, 17 – in 2020, after their reps said they had been living separate lives and just “grown apart”.
Adding to Rita’s woes, she was diagnosed with scoliosis at 19 and, more recently, she’s struggled with long Covid symptoms after catching the virus in 2020. The actress also opened up last year about her nervous breakdown, saying, “It was a deep sadness, I’d say a depression. I couldn’t see the wood for the trees. It was all kind of lumped into one big mess and I was very ill a lot of the time.”
But Rita is finally in a better place. She’s been dating theatre star Ben Harlow – who she met while performing in Legally BlondeThe Musical – for two years. And she’s also back in the soap world after joining Hollyoaks, and credits keeping fit, healthy and active as helping with her mental health.
She says, “I walk my dog every day – I’m a massive walker. I also train every day and I’ve got a gym at home, so I’m pretty hardcore. I’m feeling good and exercise is definitely a part of that.”
Rita also recently starred in Pilgrimage: The Road Through Portugal earlier this year, alongside Su Pollard, Shane Lynch and Vicky Pattison, where a group of celebs trek on a historical pilgrimage.
Despite nearly having to drop out just beforehand due to health issues, Rita says she thoroughly loved her time on the show, and that it was a breeze after already going through the jungle on I’m A Celeb!
She says, “I was seriously thinking I was going to have to pull out of the show, because I was in a bad way, health wise, beforehand. I started having all sorts of treatments and I found this amazing IV drip. If it wasn’t for that I would’ve cancelled, but I got through it just in the nick of time. Then it was fine, it was only my back that gave me any jip because I’ve got scoliosis.
“I’ve done a lot. I went to Australia and I did the jungle, and I did MasterChef with Su, but The Pilgrimage was my favourite show in terms of reality or documentary. I really wanted a show where I’m not just Roxy. I’m not an Ibiza, party girl. I’m actually a 46- year-old mother of two and there’s a calmer side to me. Compared to the jungle, it was like luxury! We had food and a bed. Honestly, I kept saying it the whole way through. Any time we were at a hostel, I thought, ‘Man, I slept on the floor with snakes and spiders crawling up my nose – this is fine!’”
Rita was encouraged by good friend and fellow actor Les Dennis – who has just been announced as a Strictly contestant – to sign up for the show.
Talking about Les – who she met while starring in Hairspray The Musical in the West End – she says, “Les Dennis is a really good mate of mine. If I have a job offer or if I’m going for an audition for a show, I always go to Les. Les did Pilgrimage, and when I told him I was discussing with the producers whether to do it, and he knows me really well, he just said, ‘Rita – do it.’
“Although everyone might think they know me and I might come across as mouthy and brash, I’m not interested in conflict. I actually just want everyone to be happy, and it’s that kind of show.”
She adds that her teenage twins Jaimee and Maiya aren’t fazed by having a famous mum. She laughs, “They could not give two figs. They’re nearly 18, so they’re like, cool – whatever. My daughter says I’ve got my own TV drama, thanks! My kids are really cool, and they’re used to me doing what I do. They didn’t bat an eyelid.”