Rita Simons

Rita Joanne Simons is an English actress and singer. After beginning her career as a member of the short-lived girl group Girls@Play, she became best known for portraying the role of 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". Outside of EastEnders, Simons has appeared as contestant on the eighteenth series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! And has appeared in various theatre productions. In 2024, she joined the cast of the Channel Four soap opera Hollyoaks as Marie Fielding.