EastEnders and Hollyoaks icon Rita Simons has tied the knot with West End star Ben Harlow, and an iconic pop star walked her down the aisle.
Rita and Ben first met while touring the UK in a production of the musical Legally Blonde, where they played on-stage love interests, with Rita starring as Paulette and Ben as Kyle.
They officially started dating in 2020, two years after Rita split from her first husband of 14 years.
Earlier this year, Rita took to social media to share news of their engagement, posting selfies to Instagram alongside Ben, showing off her ring.
Now, the couple are happily married, after a stunning ceremony earlier this week at Hidden River Barn in Cumbria.
Taking to Instagram with a few snapshots of the day, Rita announced that she had ‘married her best friend’.
‘I can’t even put into words how special our day was…mostly because we have the most incredible bunch of humans who love us unconditionally and who were prepared to travel to Hidden River Barn from all over the world to share our day. We love you all. You know who you are …sorry there’s gonna be a ton of pics to follow!’ She wrote alongside the post.
She went on to give a shoutout to her two daughters, Maiya and Jaimee, as well as a special thank you to Duncan James.
The singer, who is one quarter of the boyband Blue, walked the actress down the aisle, and even joined her on stage for a duet during the celebrations.
Her co-stars from EastEnders and Hollyoaks alike were quick to share their congratulations, with on-screen daughter Amy Mitchell star Ellie Dadd writing: ‘Congratulations Rita and Ben.’
‘Congratulations beautiful lady,’ Hollyoaks’ Anna Passey wrote, while EastEnders’ Matt Di Angelo left a series of love heart emojis.
Rita became a prominent figure on British TV when she took on the role of Roxy Mitchell in EastEnders in 2007.
The character was a fan favourite and was at the centre of some major storylines during her nine years on Albert Square.
From having a baby with her sister’s partner and inheriting millions after their father’s murder, to battling drug addiction and surviving sexual assault, Roxy’s time in Walford had plenty of highs and lows.
When the character was killed off alongside sister Ronnie Mitchell in 2017, there was uproar from viewers, with countless fans still begging the show to bring them back.
In 2023, viewers got their wish when Rita returned for a single episode to play Roxy in emotional scenes that saw Amy hallucinate her mum.
Since leaving EastEnders, Rita has also starred in Hollyoaks as Marie Fielding, though it was recently announced that she would be leaving the role.
‘Since Marie Fielding stepped into Hollyoaks village, she’s sufficiently messed up all her boys lives, Caused ALL the carnage and fallen off the wagon a few times…so her job here is done!’ Rita wrote on Instagram, alongside a few snaps from her time on the show.
She finished off her caption by writing ‘London’s calling’, which got fans in a spin as they begged for Rita to return to EastEnders.
The actress has also added a new string to her bow, co-hosting a new podcast called ‘They All Need Therapy’ alongside good friend Nicki Gregory.
This project has seen her reunite with Ronnie Mitchell star Samantha Womack, who has also appeared on the podcast.
Away from work, Rita has been open about undergoing treatment to get her fillers dissolved, admitting that she ‘really regretted’ them.
She has also shared her hysterectomy journey, revealing that it was the ‘best decision’ she ever made, as her periods worsened her OCD and Anxiety.
Rita has also spoken about her ADHD diagnosis, revealing that it helps her to learn lines.
‘When you’ve got ADHD, you’re either – well, I am, not everybody – totally distracted or hyper focused.
‘If there’s one thing I can always do, it’s learn lines at lightning speed. As soon as I get a script, I just fully [zone in], take it in, and then what I do is highlight, and then I can see the words in my head. I can even turn the page in my head, because I know where the next line ends and that one starts.’
