One of EastEnders' most-loved characters is set to make a major comeback six years after they were killed off. That's right, Roxy Mitchell (played by Rita Simons) will be seen on-screen once again, despite the fact she and her sister Ronnie (Samantha Womack) died in 2017.
Sadly it's not a permanent comeback, but soap bosses have announced that Rita will reprise the iconic role of Roxy in special scenes set to air tonight (Thursday 27 April).
Viewers will know that Roxy's daughter Amy Branning (Ellie Dadd) has been struggling with her mental health amid the breakdown of her dad Jack (Scott Maslen)'s relationship with Denise (Diane Parish) and, in tonight's episode, they will all attend family therapy.
During the therapy session, Amy is encouraged to open up about losing her mum and begins to zone out when Roxy appears as a figment of her daughter's imagination.
Talking about Roxy's brief comeback, executive producer Chris Clenshaw said, "I'm thrilled to welcome the fabulous Rita back to the iconic role of Roxy Mitchell for these special scenes. Although the character was last seen on-screen in January 2017, Roxy still remains a fan favourite. We know our audiences will be thrilled at her short return as Amy seeks some all-important answers from her mum at this point in the storyline."
From her rocky romance with Sean Slater (Rob Kazinsky) and having a baby with her sister Ronnie's on-and-off partner Jack, to being abused and raped by her partner Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo), Roxy had many memorable storylines during her time on the Square.
Ronnie and Roxy Mitchell had one of EastEnders' saddest deaths. On the evening of Ronnie's wedding to Jack, the two had a heart-to-heart by the hotel's pool, and drunk, Roxy jumped in for a swim but drowned.
Ronnie went in to save her but her wedding dress weighed her down and the two died on New Year's Day 2017.
She told the Herts and Essex Observer in 2016, "It was mutual, for a start, so you know, I wanted to go. A new boss came in, he wanted us to go, which we were all happy with.
"I had to get out of there, it was weird. I knew I had to get out of there because as an actor I needed to spread my wings.
"So when [the new boss] came to me with the idea I was ready to take it - I thought this is the kick up the bum I need to go. So I have to just take a leap of faith and, yes, it's a big thing for a soap actor, but I have faith."
Fans have wanted the fan favourites to return to the screens despite being killed off, and recently Rita addressed the rumours of a possible comeback telling Radio Times, "Yeah, I get it every day.
"Whether it's tweets, whether it's someone in the street, whether it's someone on Instagram, whether it's a parent [at] school - not that I go to school anymore: 'Why did they kill you? Why did they kill you?'"
She said that a return could be possible, which gives us hope, but didn't give anything concrete on if she or Samantha would return.
"If you see some of the scripts I've seen, I mean, who knows? I can't say any more than that. The whole cliché of 'never say never', I don't know," she added.
Yes, they are. Rita has even called Samatha her "sister".
On their friendship, Rita told The Sun, "I can't imagine life without her. She's my sister. I talk about her like she's my sister. She's one of my best friends and she will be until the end now, whether she likes it or not."
However, we are excited at the prospect of the two of them working together again, as she continued, "But I do have a feeling we will work together again. I don't know when or where but my feelings are generally right, so yeah I'm sure that's going to happen."
After leaving EastEnders, Rita appeared on I'm A Celeb, Piers Morgan's Life Stories and Celebrity Supermarket Sweep.
As of 2023, Rita appeared on BBC Two's Pilgrimage alongside Shane Lynch and Vicky Pattison. Speaking about about how she got on, Rita admitted, "I normally hit a wall on every project that I do, but I didn't with this show. I think it was because my fellow pilgrims were just so gorgeous and I'm in a much better place than I have been previously."
Rita has struggled with both her physical and mental health, getting diagnosed with scoliosis, ADHD, OCD, anxiety and insomnia over the years.
She went on to tell Closer, "I have scoliosis so my spine is S-shaped, which made carrying a heavy bag and trekking for miles really difficult, but everyone was amazing with me."
Luckily, Rita says that the cast were eager to help out and she says they bonded so well that there weren't any clashes.
Rita explains, "I'm not here for conflict anymore and what's nice is that this show isn't either. We didn't argue, but we're still fabulous to watch!"
Rita is 46. Her birthday is 10 March 1977.
Rita was married for 14 years from 2004 until 2018 to hairdresser Theo Silversto. Their split was confirmed soon after the star left Albert Square.
Yes, she shares her two children, Maiya and Jaimee with her ex-husband.
Well, it turns out that Alan Sugar is Rita's uncle on her dad's side of the family as he is married to her aunt.
No, they're not related but Rita and Harry did appear on I'm a Celebrity. Get Me Out of Here! together during the 2018 series.
Her instagram is @rita_simonsofficial.