Rita Simons
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Rita Joanne Simons (born 10 March 1977) is an English actress and singer from London. She is best known for playing
Roxy Mitchell Roxanne "Roxy" Mitchell (also Slater) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera, ''EastEnders'', portrayed by Rita Simons.BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
soap opera ''
EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...
'' from 2007 to 2017, when her character was killed-off, alongside her on screen character's sister
Ronnie Mitchell Veronica "Ronnie" Branning (also Mitchell) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera, ''EastEnders'', played by Samantha Womack. She and her younger sister Roxy Mitchell (played by Rita Simons) were introduced by executive producer Dieder ...
(
Samantha Womack Samantha Zoe Womack (''Birth name, née'' Janus; born 2 November 1972) is an English actress, singer, model and director who has worked in film, television and stage. Womack initially planned a career in singing and she represented the Unite ...
). 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 Alan Michael Sugar, Baron Sugar (born 24 March 1947) is a British business magnate, media personality, author, politician and political adviser. In 1968, he started what would later become his largest business venture, consumer electronics com ...
, who is best known for appearing in the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
reality series ''
The Apprentice ''The Apprentice'' is a Reality competition, reality talent game show franchise originally aired in 2004 in the United States. Created by U.S.-based British producer Mark Burnett, the show depicts contestants from around the country with variou ...
''. 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 Samantha Zoe Womack (''Birth name, née'' Janus; born 2 November 1972) is an English actress, singer, model and director who has worked in film, television and stage. Womack initially planned a career in singing and she represented the Unite ...
, who played her on-screen sister Ronnie Mitchell. She is also good friends with
Danniella Westbrook Danniella Westbrook (born 5 November 1973) is an English actress, best known for originally playing Sam Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' on and off from 1990 to 2000 and 2009 to 2016. Away from ''EastEnders'', she has presented var ...
, 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 Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by excessive amounts of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that are pervasive, impairing in multiple contexts, and otherwise age-inapp ...
, OCD,
anxiety Anxiety is an emotion which is characterized by an unpleasant state of inner turmoil and includes feelings of dread over anticipated events. Anxiety is different than fear in that the former is defined as the anticipation of a future threat wh ...
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 Girls@Play were a British five-piece girl group, consisting of Vicky Dowdall, Lisa-Jay White, Rita Simons, Lynsey Shaw and Shelley Nash.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 Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...
of
Mel and Kim Mel and Kim (stylized as MӗL & KIM) were an English pop duo, consisting of sisters Melanie and Kim Appleby. Originally managed by Alan Whitehead, they achieved success between 1986 and 1988, before Melanie died of cancer in January 1990 at t ...
's " Respectable". Simons then joined a different group called Charli with three other members, including Shar from the
Paradiso Girls The Paradiso Girls were a girl group created by Robin Antin, and were a European spin-off of Antin's other girl group The Pussycat Dolls. The members come from a number of countries: Chelsea Korka from the United States, Aria Crescendo from Fra ...
, 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 1989, ...
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 2005 ...
'' (2003; as Hannah), as well as the
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
drama '' London's Burning''. On 11 May 2007, it was announced that she would be joining the cast of ''EastEnders'' as
Roxy Mitchell Roxanne "Roxy" Mitchell (also Slater) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera, ''EastEnders'', portrayed by Rita Simons.Samantha Womack Samantha Zoe Womack (''Birth name, née'' Janus; born 2 November 1972) is an English actress, singer, model and director who has worked in film, television and stage. Womack initially planned a career in singing and she represented the Unite ...
who played Roxy's sister
Ronnie Mitchell Veronica "Ronnie" Branning (also Mitchell) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera, ''EastEnders'', played by Samantha Womack. She and her younger sister Roxy Mitchell (played by Rita Simons) were introduced by executive producer Dieder ...
. 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 Ta ...
'' 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 profi ...
in
Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, 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, Kent, River Stour. ...
, over the 2015–2016 Christmas and New Year period. In August 2016, it was announced that Simons was leaving ''EastEnders'' along with
Samantha Womack Samantha Zoe Womack (''Birth name, née'' Janus; born 2 November 1972) is an English actress, singer, model and director who has worked in film, television and stage. Womack initially planned a career in singing and she represented the Unite ...
. 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 Ronnie may refer to: *Ronnie (name), a unisex pet name and given name * "Ronnie" (Four Seasons song), a song by Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe *"Ronnie," a song from the Metallica album '' Load'' *Ronnie Brunswijkstadion, an association football stadium ...
. 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 ''Everybody's Talking About Jamie'' is a coming-of-age stage musical with music by Dan Gillespie Sells and book and lyrics by Tom MacRae. The musical is inspired by the 2011 British television documentary ''Jamie: Drag Queen at 16'' directed b ...
'' at the Apollo Theatre. She was to take on the role of Velma von Tussle in the 2021 revival of ''
Hairspray Hairspray may refer to: * Hair spray, a personal grooming product that keeps hair protected from humidity and wind * ''Hairspray'' (1988 film), a film by John Waters ** ''Hairspray'' (1988 soundtrack), the film's soundtrack album ** ''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), ''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. (G ...
''.


Charity work

In December 2009, Simons visited her old secondary school,
Watford Grammar School for Girls Watford Grammar School for Girls (commonly abbreviated WGGS) is an academy for girls in Watford in Hertfordshire, UK. Despite its name, it is only a partially selective school, with 25% of entrants admitted on academic ability and 10% on musica ...
, to open the Christmas fair. In December 2010, Simons launched the
RNID The Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID), known as Action on Hearing Loss from 2011 to 2020, is a charitable organization working on behalf of the UK's 9 million people who are deaf or have hearing loss. History The Royal National I ...
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 The Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID), known as Action on Hearing Loss from 2011 to 2020, is a charitable organization working on behalf of the UK's 9 million people who are deaf or have hearing loss. History The Royal National I ...
concert along with the Mayor of Camden, Councillor Abdul Quadir. She appeared on a ''
Big Star's Little Star ''Big Star's Little Star'' is a British game show that began on ITV on 4 September 2013 and is presented by Stephen Mulhern. The show sees three celebrity contestants and their children or grandchildren answering questions about each other to wi ...
'' episode, broadcast on 1 April 2015, and won £13,000 for charity.


Filmography


Television


Film


Theatre


Accolades


See also

* List of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (British TV series) contestants


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