Former EastEnders star Rita Simons has revealed that fans are so hopeful that Roxy and Ronnie Mitchell will come back from the dead, they send in scripts in which the sisters are brought back in “really convincing” ways.
The sisters were killed off on New Year’s Day 2017 in scenes that saw them drown in a swimming pool, something that always irritated fans.
Simons went on to join Hollyoaks, but has now left the Channel 4 soap, in which she played Marie Fielding. There are now rumours again that her EE character Roxy and Samantha Janus’ Ronnie could somehow return.
“Someone said to me the other day ‘the resilience of your fans is impressive’ and I think without our amazing fans it wouldn’t even be in either of our minds,” Simons said (via The Mirror).
“It would be like ‘no, don’t be ridiculous’ but our fans just keep the momentum going constantly and we are so floored by that every day because me and Sam get people come up to us on the street daily.
BBC
Related: Best film and TV tours for 2025
“Sometimes I see the stories and I’m like ‘God, that’s convincing’ but never say never. Kathy’s back, Dirty Den came back, Cindy’s back. So you never know. We’ve had some really convincing scripts sent from fans.”
Explaining just how deep the fan theories about Roxy and Ronnie go, Simons explained: “I did a TikTok the other day from my dressing room at theatre about Panto and someone was writing in the comment ‘look, she’s blinking in Morse code, it means she’s coming back’.
“It doesn’t matter what I do everyone thinks it’s a sign that I’m coming back and Sam is the same.”
Lime Pictures/Kerry Spicer
Related: Hollyoaks secretly changed Rita Simons’ role before her first scenes ever aired
The actor takes it all in good stead, stating: “We’re so grateful we’ve got such hardcore fans and I don’t know if there’s ever been a time where some departed characters had such amazing, loyal fans.”
Speaking exclusively with Digital Spy in October, Simons said she’d “never say never” to a return, but could the soap actually do it?
EastEnders airs on Mondays-Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.
Read more EastEnders spoilers on our dedicated homepage
Love TV? Get your Christmas viewing sorted with the Good Housekeeping Christmas TV Guide, featuring 14 days of Christmas TV listings, plus everything you need for the ultimate festive viewing experience! Just £4.75 – available now at Morrisons, TG Jones and all other good magazine retailers.