Rita Simons, 47, reveals she underwent a hysterectomy

Rita Simons has candidly detailed her decision to recently have a hysterectomy after struggling with “debilitating” periods that left her unable to work.

The EastEnders actress, 45, admitted she was upset by the idea that she would no longer be able to get pregnant, but insisted that her “health must come first”.

Rita, who has the full support of her boyfriend Ben Harlow, explained how she wanted to end “years of suffering” both mentally and physically.

Talking to OK! magazine, he discussed the emotions he went through after being told surgery was his best option to alleviate symptoms.

She said: ‘As a woman, we often take for granted that you can get pregnant and then when you can’t and the option is taken away…’

Rita, who is the mother of twins Jaimee and Maiya, 16, said she has not considered having more children but it is still “weird” to be taken away from the option.

The former soap opera star began dating her current partner Ben during the lockdown of 2020 following her divorce from ex-husband Theo Silveston.

Rita explained that her “sweet” boyfriend “knows,” not to mention that having more kids knows that it’s “completely off the table” for them.

The star recounted how she first spoke to a doctor about her “debilitating and irregular periods” during the first few months of their new relationship.

Rita’s periods would negatively affect her OCD and anxiety, leaving her unable to work during the weeks that they increased.

She said: ‘I was in panto and it got to the point where I was telling my agent not to book me dates that I knew I would have my period, because it was so hard to work. It was debilitating and I knew I couldn’t go through it every month.

‘My emotions would go completely crazy every month. I’ve gotten to the point where I must have five days a month where I’m fine and then I start ovulating again and it all goes downhill.

At first, Rita tried a hormonal mix of estrogen and progesterone, however, the mix left her sick and she knew it wasn’t a long-term solution.

She was then told the “only option” was to remove her womb, cervix and both ovaries in a total radical hysterectomy, which she described as an “attack on her femininity”.

However, she admitted that the benefits to her mental health outweigh the side effects, which she says is good for her daughters and Ben.

Before meeting Ben, Rita previously confessed that she considered “throwing herself down the stairs”, while battling anxiety and depression.

In January 2022, Rita revealed that she was struggling to cope with the breakup of her 14-year marriage to husband Theo and “ate it up” to keep the news under wraps.

She said Sun: ‘Everything was lumped together in one big mess and I was very sick most of the time. I lost a lot of weight. And I wasn’t telling people about the marriage because even though my kids knew about it, I didn’t want them to read about it. It ate at me, not being able to tell people what was really going on.’

Revealing his lowest moment, he recalled a night during a performance of The House On Cold Hill in 2019: “There were some stairs on set that I went up on to the stage, quite high at the top.

‘And I thought I might throw myself to the ground. I didn’t want to die. I just wanted to get hurt enough to go to the hospital and have someone take care of me. That was awful.’

Rita, who played Roxy Mitchell on EastEnders from 2007 to 2017, married hairdresser Theo in 2004, but they separated in 2018 and their divorce was finalized in 2020.

Rita admitted that she had trouble getting out of bed when she was at her worst.

She said: ‘When I look back, she used to be quite aggressive, hardened and defensive, like she was on guard all the time.

‘If something bad happened, I would be the first to say, ‘Raagh!’, and start screaming.’

Rita said she used to challenge her anger at the gym where she started boxing, insisting that she does not lose her temper today and that time away from her marriage has “softened her up”.

Reflecting on some of her lowest moments, the former I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! A fellow camper said: ‘It was a deep sadness, I would say a depression. He couldn’t see the forest for the trees.

While the star, who has battled anxiety and OCD since the age of seven, knew she should take a break, she kept busy with work and signed on to appear in the West End musical Everybody Talks About Jamie and in the Pantomime of Sleeping Beauty after leaving. EastEnders as Roxy Mitchell in 2017.

Rita is still friends with Theo today, but described their divorce proceedings as “cold” and “clinical”.

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