EastEnders' Rita Simons wants ‘sex symbol’ body back after undergoing hysterectomy
Hollyoaks star Rita Simons has opened up about her weight loss journey on an episode of Drama Queens.
The show that looks behind the lens of soap opera actresses followed Rita, who played Roxy Mitchell in EastEnders for over a decade, before joining Hollyoaks earlier this year.
In the episode of Drama Queens that aired on Wednesday 8 May, the cameras followed Rita to multiple appointments as she attempted to lose the weight she gained after having her hysterectomy.
She said during the show: “I had a hysterectomy last January, in 2023 and until you get your hormones right, it messes with your body a little bit. I put on about nearly a stone, I lost about half of it, I’ve still got more to go. I have since been on this journey to just lose the extra weight that came after the hysterectomy and get back to where I was.”
In one of the very first scenes Rita declared "there’s my poo!" as she sat down with a colonic hydro-therapist - and explained why she was having the procedure.
Rita revealed: “I partied so hard when I was younger, and then I went through a hideous time. I had a little bit of a nervous breakdown, a horrible divorce, I was unkind to myself for a very long time.
“I’m on a bit of a mission to purify myself and be the best version of myself that I can be, now that I’m in menopause.”
Later on, Rita was having her home gym built and went through EMS (Electro Muscle Stimulation) during the course of the show. Rita explained that 20 minutes of EMS is ‘equivalent to a 90 minute gym session’.
Looking back at her past, Rita reflected on her time in the band, Girls@Play, who performed from 2000-2001.
Rita sighed: “Some of my old girlband pictures, I was gorgeous, I had this tiny little waist and abs. And I didn’t know by the way, I thought I was fat which is hilarious. I was a bit of a sex symbol once. So when I see myself on tele, I don’t want to see something that I’m unhappy with.”
Also starring in Drama Queens is Coronation Street star Lucy Fallon who in an exclusive chat with OK! declared she’s still waiting for a proposal from her partner Ryan Ledson.
She said “He hasn’t proposed yet, I’m still waiting. have dropped subtle hints but I don’t want him to feel the pressure. I want to be taken aback. And I want to be completely surprised.”
