Rita Simons is engaged! EastEnders star shows off her gorgeous diamond ring after partner Ben Harlow popped the question
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Rita Simons has announced that she is engaged to her partner Ben Harlow.
The EastEnders star, 47, who has been dating the producer since 2020, broke the good news to her Instagram on Saturday and proudly showed off her stunning diamond ring.
The couple couldn’t wipe the smiles off their faces as they posed for some sweet snaps in the comfort of their own home.
Rita captioned the announcement, “….so this happened! (ring emojis) @benjyharlow ‘
Fans and friends rushed to the comments section to congratulate the happy couple, with Hollyoaks star Steph Waring writing: ‘Congratulations to you both!’
While fans said: ‘Awwww AWESOME!!! Congratulations to both of you.’; ‘Yes to this!!! Congratulations to both of you.”
Rita Simons has announced that she is officially engaged to her partner Ben Harlow
The EastEnders star, 47, who has been dating the producer since 2020, took to her Instagram on Saturday to share the good news and proudly showed off her stunning diamond ring
Rita captioned the announcement, “….so this happened! (ring emojis) @benjyharlow ‘
Rita, who is best known for her role as Roxy Mitchell in the BBC soap, has been in a relationship with the former actor since 2020 after the pair met while performing on Legally Blonde the Musical in 2017.
While previously discussing her romance, Rita said Ben is “the most beautiful man in the world” and that just because she is “so happy” she can see what a “mess” she was.
Before her relationship with Ben, Rita was married to Theo Silveston for fourteen years before splitting in 2018.
The actress had reportedly ‘grown apart’ from the hairdresser and they decided to end their relationship after a period of separation.
However, after the couple split in 2018, Rita struggled with depression, insomnia and more.
Ultimately, the stress, pressure and heartbreak caused her to have a nervous breakdown.
Speak with OK! Magazine in 2021, Rita explained: ‘I was physically ill every other week and lost a lot of weight.’
‘Every night I was on stage in the West End in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, having just had a tense conversation with Theo and later having just received legal letters.’
Rita, who plays Roxy Mitchell in the BBC soap, has been in a relationship with the former actor since 2020 after the pair met while performing in Legally Blonde the Musical in 2017.
Discussing her romance, Rita previously said Ben is ‘the most beautiful man in the world’ and she is only ‘so happy’ because she can now see what a ‘mess’ she was
Before her relationship with Ben, Rita was married to Theo Silveston for 14 years before splitting in 2018 (both pictured in 2017)
Rita and her ex-husband Theo share two twin daughters together, Jaimee and Maiya (all pictured in 2014)
“And I just cried, went on stage, came off, cried and responded. I also had terrible insomnia for about a year.”
She added: ‘When I’m unhappy, the first thing to go is my sleep, and then comes the depression and anxiety.’
In 2019, while starring in the play The House On Cold Hill, the star suffered a nervous breakdown. “My mind went to some big dark places,” Rita admitted.
Previously spoken to The sunshe said, “There were some stairs on the set where I got to the stage, quite high up at the top.”
“And I thought I could just throw myself down.” I didn’t want to die. I just wanted to hurt myself enough to go to the hospital and have someone take care of me. That was scary.’