EastEnders actress Rita Simons, famed for her role as Roxy Mitchell in the BBC soap, has just announced her engagement to beau Ben Harlow.
The 47-year-old star took to social media to flaunt her sparkling new ring and share the joyous news with a caption that read: “….so this happened! ”
In the shared snaps, Rita is seen beaming alongside Ben at home, showing off the stunning ring, the Mirror reports.
Celeb pals and fans alike were quick to flood the comments with well-wishes, including Hollyoaks’ Steph Waring who exclaimed: “Congratulations to you both! “
Enthusiastic fans chimed in with one saying: “Awwww AMAZING! ! ! Hugest congratulations both” while another wrote: “Yes to this! ! ! Congrats to you both.”
Singer Duncan James also expressed his delight, commenting: “Love u so much! Congrats to the both of u! Jadore ! ! ” Rita and former actor Ben have been an item since 2020 after hitting it off during their stint in Legally Blonde the Musical back in 2017.
Rita has openly gushed about Ben, calling him “the loveliest man on the planet” and crediting her current happiness for highlighting the “mess” she was in before.
Prior to her relationship with Ben, Rita was married to Theo Silverston, but the marriage ended after 14 years. The split from the hairdresser was tough on Rita, leading to a battle with depression and insomnia among other challenges.
Rita endured a harrowing time that led to a nervous breakdown, a period she recounted as “one of the worst times” of her life. Speaking candidly with OK! Magazine, Rita shared her struggles: “I was physically ill every other week and I lost loads of weight.”
She detailed the emotional turmoil she faced while performing in the West End show ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’, dealing with fraught conversations and legal letters before and after taking the stage.
She recalled: “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.”
In 2019, while acting in ‘The House On Cold Hill’, Rita experienced a severe mental health crisis. She confided in The Sun about her darkest moments: “My mind went to some major dark places,” Rita confessed.
She revealed a chilling thought she had during a performance: “There were some stairs on the set that I came on stage on, quite high at the top. 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.”
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