Rita played Roxy Mitchell in EastEnders (Picture: ITV / REX / Shutterstock)
EastEnders star Rita Simons has revealed that she has had a hysterectomy.
The actress, who played Roxy Mitchell in the BBC One soap, underwent the operation after seeing a consultant over her ‘debilitating’ periods.
‘I was in panto and I got to the point where I was telling my agent not to book me on dates where I knew I’d be on my period, because it was so difficult to work,’ she said.
‘My emotions got completely freaked out every month. It got to the point where I must have five days a month where I’m OK and then I start ovulating again and it’s all downhill.
‘Health comes first,’ she added to OK! Magazine.
The 45–year-old was told by doctors that the only option was to ‘remove everything’ and therefore she underwent a total radical hysterectomy, which saw her womb, cervix and both ovaries taken out.
Rita recently revealed that she underwent a Cinderella facelift.
‘I’m going public with it because it’s helped my confidence so much,’ she said of the non-invasive procedure.
Rita as Roxy in EastEnders, pictured with Samantha Womack, who played on-screen sister Ronnie (Picture: BBC / Jack Barnes)
‘I wasn’t ready to age and my jowls highlighted my scar even more. But I’ve done this for myself, it was purely personal. I feel great again now. I feel like I can hold my head up high.’
The actress made her final appearance in EastEnders back in 2017 when Roxy and sister Ronnie were controversially killed off in a swimming pool.
We’re still not over it.
Rita recently teased the possibility of Roxy returning from beyond the grave, and we’re not going to lie, we’d love it.
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