An English actress, model and singer, Rita Joanne Simons was born in London in 1977. She is best known for the role of Roxy Mitchell in EastEnders, the hit BBC soap opera which she was in for ten years from 2007. In 2019, she reprised the role, providing a voiceover, and earned immense praise for the performance. It also won her the 2008 National Television Award for Most Popular Newcomer.

She was part of the band Girls@Play before she started acting. After the band split up, she joined another group named Charli. Simons appeared in the ITV drama “London’s Burning”, and the Sky 1 dramas, “Dream Team” (2002) and “Mile High” (2003).

In the 2017-18 tour Legally Blonde: The Musical, she played the role of Paulette Bonafonte. The following year, she acted as Miss Hedge in the musical smash-hit Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. In the 2020 revival of Hairspray, Simons will don the role of Velma von Tussle.

Theatre
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (2016); Aladdin (2017); Legally Blonde: The Musical (2017); Sleeping Beauty (2019/20); The House on Cold Hill (2019); Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (2019); Hairspray (2020).

Awards
Her awards include Best Newcomer (2008 Inside Soap Awards); Best Newcomer, Best On-Screen Partnership - alongside Samantha Janus (2008 Digital Spy Soap Awards); Favourite Newcomer to Irish – alongside Samantha Janus (2008 TV Now Awards).

TV
Dream Team (2002, 1 episode); Mile High (2003, 1 episode); EastEnders (2007-17, 2019).

Film
Simons’ first movie is The Krays: Dead Man Walking (2018). With this, she has made her big-screen debut.

Music
She has been in two groups and released a couple of songs which include: Airhead, Respectable, and Feel Me.