EastEnders star Rita Simons has broken her silence after joining rival soap Hollyoaks.
It was revealed earlier this month that the actress, famous for playing Roxy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera, will be swapping Walford for Chester as she embarks on an all-new role.
And following the announcement, Rita, 46, shared her excitement as teasing her new character could bring ‘trouble’ to the Hollyoaks village.
She took to Twitter on Tuesday and wrote, “Well! The news is out! So excited to be joining the fantastic cast of @Hollyoaks later this year!
“I can’t tell you who I’m playing with, but I can tell you she’s going to be trouble! Huge shout out to my gorgeous agents @MelanieBlakeUK @NGMManagement @ABA_Agent #MyGirls’.
New role: EastEnders star Rita Simons has broken her silence after taking part in rival soap Hollyoaks
Soap swap: It was revealed earlier this month that the actress, famous for playing Roxy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera, will be swapping Walford for Chester as she embarks on an all-new role
Her former EastEnders co-star Jake Wood, who played Max Branning, shared his support for her, writing, “Well done Rita, they are lucky to have you.”
With Rita replying, “Thanks honey” alongside a heart face emoji.
The soap star also received many congratulations from her fans, who shared their elation at her participation in the Channel 4 soap.
One wrote: ‘Hollyoaks are lucky to have such a talented actor joining them, so good luck to you.’
While another gushed, “OMG! As a #Hollyoaks fan, so excited to be joining the show Rita, you are amazing. Your character will bring a lot of drama, fun, entertainment, etc.’
‘I’ve never seen Hollyoaks before but any project you do I support! I’m so excited to watch you. You’ll do great,” a third fan tweeted.
With an extra person adding, “If she’s as feisty as Roxy then she’ll be a blast to watch!” You smash it in everything you do. I can’t wait to watch.’
Rita played Roxy in EastEnders for ten years before making a dramatic exit in 2017 when she drowned with her sister Ronnie, who was played by Samantha Womack.
Rita made a one-off return to Albert Square in April this year as ‘a figment of her daughter Amy Mitchell’s imagination’ after Amy (Ellie Dadd) struggled with her mental health.
She has now been confirmed to be making the switch to Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, with her feisty persona causing a stir.
That’s what a source recently said The sun: ‘Rita’s new character is sure to ruffle feathers and stir the pot.
Can not wait! Following the announcement, Rita, 46, shared her excitement as teasing her new character could bring ‘trouble’ to the Hollyoaks village (pictured in November 2019)
Excited: She took to Twitter on Tuesday and wrote, “Well! The news is out! So excited to be joining the fantastic cast of @Hollyoaks later this year!’
Lovely: Sharing his support for her, her former EastEnders co-star Jake Wood, who played Max Branning, wrote: ‘Well done Rita, they are lucky to have you’
Support: The soap star also received many congratulations from her fans, who shared their elation at her participation in the Channel 4 soap
“Hollyoaks fans can expect a lot of fireworks.”
MailOnline reached out to a representative for Rita and Channel 4 for comment at the time.
It comes after Rita joked that the ‘tears’ she cried on her return to EastEnders were real as she was recovering from an hysterectomy.
Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Rita revealed that the scene was filmed weeks after her surgery and that she was suffering from ‘brain fog’.
She said, “Coincidentally, that scene was filmed, you would believe, five to six weeks after I just had a total hysterectomy, which I’ve made no secret of.
Long-term role: Rita starred in the BBC soap opera as Roxy Mitchell from 2007 to 2017, when her character was killed off screen along with her sister Ronnie
End of the road: Rita’s character Roxy made a dramatic exit in 2017 when she drowned with her sister Ronnie, who was played by Samantha Womack (right)
“But of course I got the call to come and do the scene and I knew it would be during my recovery time. But I was like, “I have to do it!”
“Full menopause, and I had these hormone pellets stuck in my buttocks and they hadn’t started yet, so the tears were real! I had brain fog, I looked a little on the puffy side. So I felt a bit spooky!’
Rita would not have returned to the soap had her character been a ghost, but felt Roxy was a figment of Amy’s imagination, a good way to raise awareness for mental health issues.
Emotional: It comes after Rita joked that the ‘tears’ she cried on her return to EastEnders were real as she was recovering from a hysterectomy
She said, “Very clearly, I was asked to go back… not as a ghost. Not as a ghost. And I said, ‘Okay, if I’m a ghost, I won’t!’
“But because it was Amy’s fabrication — anything to do with mental health issues, I’m in there like a rat in a drainpipe because I’m a lawyer — she has these mental health issues and it’s almost like she’s doing this inner struggle. – children’s work that you do together with a therapist. So it’s her imagination.’
Rita starred in the BBC soap opera as Roxy Mitchell from 2007 to 2017, when her character was killed on screen along with her sister Ronnie.
The soap star reminded fans that because viewers haven’t seen her character’s body after she and her sister both drowned in a swimming pool, there’s a possibility that Roxy isn’t dead after all and could potentially reappear “for the fans.” .