Rita Simons has acknowledged that after her reappearance this week, she could stage a formal EastEnders comeback.
After Roxy Mitchell died in 2017, the 46-year-old actress returned as the character for the first time as a figment of daughter Amy’s (Ellie Dadd) imagination. However, she has since hinted that Roxy Mitchell may still be alive and well.
“I was able to return because you didn’t see my body,” I said. She hinted on Friday’s Good Morning Britain segment, “I don’t know.” The fans own this programme, so I did it for them. I did it for the fans because it’s their show. I would?”
Rita said Roxy wasn’t a ghost and that Rita’s presence on Thursday’s episode of EastEnders wasn’t a mistake.
She said, “It was offered as an idea. I was told to return in a different form than a ghost. Right, if I’m a ghost, I’m not doing it, I replied. So I returned.
Amy’s mental health drastically deteriorated last year, and she started self-harming. following a trying few months that saw their family break down due to Denise Fox’s (Diane Parish) affair with Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara).
She said that being a part of a tale that focused on mental health was a major factor in her choosing to act in the emotional moments with Ellie, calling Roxy a “figment of [Amy’s] imagination.”
She said, “I’m there because I really am an advocate. It was just a figment of her imagination. Also, anything to do with mental health issues.”
“Amy is struggling with her mental health, and it’s almost like doing the inner child work you do with a therapist,” the therapist said. You do revisit your early years. So, it’s all in her head. It does not turn me into a ghost.
In the family therapy sessions, the therapist prompted Amy to express her sorrow over Ronnie’s (Samantha Womack) and Roxy’s deaths by asking her what Roxy would say to her if she were still alive.
Roxy then materialised in front of Amy as a figment of her mind and reassured her that her mother did, answering Amy’s sad query of whether her mother really loved her.
While Rita isn’t ruling out Roxy returning in real life at some point, she did hint that Roxy might be joining a rival soap opera without providing any further information.
Laughing, she said, “I cannot tell you! I’ll tell you when I have anything to say. For the time being, all I’ll say is that I left it open-ended so that the audience can finally comprehend Roxy could still be alive. After that, who knows?
But I’m really having a great time not being there right now, and I could even be heading someplace else. However, the fans have been incredible, so I did it for them.
ITV broadcasts Good Morning Britain every day at 6 a.m.
