Rita Simons
Simons in 2016
Born	Rita Joanne Simons (1977-03-10)10 March 1977 (age 48) Whipps Cross, London, England
Other names	Rita Silveston
Occupation(s)	Actress, singer
Years active	2000–present
Known for	Role ofRoxy Mitchell inEastEnders
Television	Mile High Dream Team London's Burning EastEnders I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Hollyoaks
Spouse	Theo Silveston ​ ​ (m. 2004; sep. 2018)​
Children	2
Relatives	Alan Sugar (uncle)

Rita Joanne Simons (born 10 March 1977) is an English actress and singer. After beginning her career as a member of the short-lived girl groupGirls@Play, she became best known for portraying the role ofRoxy Mitchell in theBBC soap operaEastEnders from 2007 to 2017, when her character waskilled-off, alongside her on-screen character's sisterRonnie Mitchell (Samantha Womack). For her performance on the show Simons received many accolades, including the2008 National Television Award for "Most Popular Newcomer".

Outside ofEastEnders, Simons has appeared as contestant on theeighteenth series ofI'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! and has appeared in various theatre productions. In 2024, she joined the cast of theChannel 4 soap operaHollyoaks asMarie Fielding.

Simons was born on 10 March 1977 atWhipps Cross University Hospital inWhipps Cross,Leytonstone, London to Susan (née Franks) and Mark Simons.^[1] Both of her parents areJewish. She has an older brother, Ben. Through her paternal aunt's marriage, Simons is the niece of billionaire businessmanLord Sugar.^[2]

Before her acting career, Simons was in the groupGirls@Play, who had a couple ofhit singles before splitting up. Their songs included "Airhead" and acover ofMel and Kim's "Respectable".^[3] Simons then joined a different group called Charli with three other members, including Shar from theParadiso Girls, and released a single titled "Feel Me".^[4]

Simons made appearances in theSky 1 dramasDream Team (2002) andMile High (2003; as Hannah), as well as theITV dramaLondon's Burning.^[2]

On 11 May 2007, it was announced that she would be joining the cast ofEastEnders asRoxy Mitchell, alongsideSamantha Womack who played Roxy's sisterRonnie Mitchell. Of her role, Simons said: "I've always watchedEastEnders and it's been my dream to become part of the Mitchell family."^[5][6] Simons temporarily departed fromEastEnders in late 2015 (the character departed from screens from 1 January to 4 May 2016), allowing the actress to take part in aSnow White pantomime at theMarlowe Theatre inCanterbury, over the 2015–2016 Christmas and New Year period.^[7] In August 2016, it was announced that Simons was leavingEastEnders along withSamantha Womack. Her on-screen character Roxy Mitchell drowned in a swimming pool in an episode broadcast on New Year's Day 2017, along with her sisterRonnie.^[8][9] Simons made a voiceover appearance in May 2019, during the return of Roxy's ex-husbandSean Slater (Robert Kazinsky), which saw him listen to a voicemail from Roxy on an old mobile phone. She made a cameo reappearance on 27 April 2023, as Roxy imagined by her daughter Amy during a family counselling session.^[10]

Simons appeared as Paulette Bonafonte in the 2017–2018 UK tour ofLegally Blonde: the Musical in 2017.

On 12 November 2018, Simons was confirmed to be participating as a contestant on theeighteenth series ofI'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!.^[11] She was the fourth to be eliminated on 4 December 2018.

In 2019, Simons played the role of ‘Miss Hedge’ in the hit musicalEverybody's Talking About Jamie at the Apollo Theatre. She was to take on the role of Velma von Tussle in the2021 revival ofHairspray at theLondon Coliseum. In 2022, she joined the cast of TV show,Professor T.

She participated inPilgrimage: The Road Through Portugal, aired in 2023, aBBC Two series dedicated to a pilgrimage toFátima,Portugal, with six other celebrities. She was the only Jewish pilgrim and had the chance to visit a former synagogue inTomar.^[12]

In 2023, it was announced that Simons would be joining the cast of theChannel 4 soap operaHollyoaks. She is set to take over the role ofMarie Fielding, the mother of established characterJoel Dexter (Rory Douglas-Speed) and will make her debut in 2024.^[13]

In December 2009, Simons visited her old secondary school,Watford Grammar School for Girls, to open the Christmas fair.^[14]

In December 2010, Simons launched theRNID 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 inElstree.^[15]

In December 2011, Simons hosted the annualAction on Hearing Loss concert along with the Mayor of Camden, Councillor Abdul Quadir.

Simons appeared on an episode ofBig Star's Little Star, broadcast on 1 April 2015, and won £13,000 for charity.

In August 2004, she married hairdresser Theo Silveston.^[16] They have twin daughters. The couple separated in 2018.

Simons is best friends with co-starSamantha Womack, who played her on-screen sister Ronnie Mitchell.^[17] She is also good friends withDanniella Westbrook, who played her on-screen cousin Sam Mitchell.

Simons has been diagnosed withscoliosis.^[18]

In July 2018, Simons revealed that she has been diagnosed withADHD,OCD,anxiety andinsomnia.^[19]

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

• Rita Simons atIMDb 
• Rita Simons discography atDiscogs
• Rita Simons onTwitter
• Inside Soap Awards 2008

• 1977 births
• Living people
• English people of Jewish descent
• Jewish English actresses
• English female models
• English television actresses
• English soap opera actresses
• People educated at Watford Grammar School for Girls
• 21st-century English women singers
• 21st-century English singers
• 21st-century English actresses
• People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
• People with obsessive–compulsive disorder
• Models from London
• Actresses from London
• Actors from the London Borough of Waltham Forest

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• EngvarB from June 2017
• Use dmy dates from June 2017
• Articles with hCards