Ronnie and Roxy go it alone…
Best pals, former EastEnders stars Samantha Womack and Rita Simons, have both split from their husbands
Ex- EastEnders actresses Samantha Womack, 47, and Rita Simons, 43, have both left their husbands – their shock announcements coming within a week of each other.
And it wouldn’t be strange to imagine the friends of old – who played the Mitchell sisters in the BBC One soap – confiding in each other, following their marriage breakdowns.
Mum-of-two Sam confirmed in an interview that she had split from her actor husband Mark – who plays DI Malone in Emmerdale – in 2018, after nine years of marriage.
But, she added, they are co-habiting ‘happily’ with their children Benjamin, 19, and Lili Rose, 15, at their Bedfordshire farmhouse.
Sam, also stepmum to Mark’s son Michael, 25, from a previous relationship, insisted the split was amicable and they are happy with the current status quo.
‘Our family home is big enough and we’re co-existing happily. There’s no rush to change things,’ she said.
Despite being separated for some time, the TV-turnedtheatre star insisted they’ve had ‘some of their best times together’ as a family during lockdown.
The Brighton-born star candidly confessed that she and Mark had ‘failed’ as a couple – but is content their son and daughter are ‘happy that we’re happy’.
Just days earlier, it emerged that her former on-screen sister Rita Simons had split from her husband of 14 years, hairdresser Theo Silveston. The couple, who have lived apart for the past two years, have decided to officially divorce, say reports.
Rita shares twin daughters, Jamiee and Maiya, 14, with her ex, who she tied the knot with in 2006 after meeting through a mutual friend aged just 19.
In May, Rita cryptically implied she’d had a tough time, writing on Instagram: ‘Before lockdown I was 100% a workaholic and 1,000% stressed out… I was trying to deal with work and personal problems at the same time. I’ve been to some pretty dark places in the last few years both mentally and physically, but I don’t tend to shout about it. (Apart from the insomnia!)’
If these two blonde bombshells are just as tight in real life as they were on-screen it will be a great help, as they both begin this new chapter as single ladies. Sisters really are doing it for themselves…
‘I’ve been to some pretty dark places in the last few years’