Former EastEnders actress Rita Simons has opened up about dissolving her facial fillers after feeling she had overused them and sharing her regret
Rita Simons has revealed she is having her facial fillers dissolved. The actress, known for her role as Roxy Mitchell on EastEnders and currently starring in Hollyoaks, admitted on Instagram that she felt she had gone too far with cosmetic enhancements.
The 47-year-old soap star shared that she is working with Dr Stephen Hennessy, a facial aesthetics expert, to remove filler that had accumulated over time.
“I’m not one to pretend I don’t have a little tweakage,” Simons wrote. “But I’ve really regretted having fillers over the years. It comes after the former EastEnders actress announced her engagement in a collection of loved-up snaps.
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“They have built up over time and I was starting to resemble a pillow. So lovely Dr Hennessy started dissolving them last week and today we’ve done the last bit,” she said of her latest cosmetic procedure.
Rita added that while she isn’t against fillers, she has learned the importance of moderation. “I’m not adverse to fillers but I’ve definitely learnt you need to be super careful about overdoing it,” she said.
The much-loved soap also preempted criticism with a message for those who might say she doesn’t need any cosmetic work. “FYI in advance for the ‘you don’t need it’ comments… I know! That’s why it’s going.”
Rita rose to fame playing Roxy Mitchell in EastEnders alongside Samantha Womack’s Ronnie Mitchell. The sisters’ storylines were iconic, and their characters were dramatically killed off in 2017.
Since then, Rita has joined the cast of Hollyoaks as Marie Fielding, mother to Joel Dexter, Abe Fielding, and Arlo Fielding.
Her character has been involved in several major storylines, including a brief affair with longtime fan-favourite Tony Hutchinson.
Back in January, Rita announced she’s officially engaged to Ben Harlow. At the time, she took to social media to share happy snaps of the new engagement, with the caption: “….so this happened!”
In the pictures, the dazzling ring could be seen placed on her finger as the two posed for snaps in the comfort of their own home.
Of her romance, Rita previously said Ben is “the loveliest man on the planet” and that it’s only because she’s “so happy” now she can see what a “mess” she was. Before being in a relationship with Ben, she was married to Theo Silverston.
However, she faced a huge hurdle when she split from him after 14 years together.
The actress had been “growing apart” from the hairdresser and they decided to end their relationship after a period of separation. Unfortunately, the duo’s split caused Rita to struggle with depression, insomnia and more.
In the end, the cocktail of stress, pressure and heartbreak caused her to suffer a nervous breakdown. It’s no surprise Rita described that period as “one of the worst times” of her life.
In an interview with OK! Magazine, Rita explained: “I was physically ill every other week and I lost loads of weight.
“Every night I would go on stage in the West End in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie having just had some fraught conversation with Theo, and later on having just received legal letters.
“And I would just cry, go on stage, come off, cry and respond. I also had terrible insomnia for about a year. When I’m unhappy, my sleep is the first thing to go and then the knock-on is the depression and anxiety.”
She is now planning her wedding with Ben after finding her happily ever after.
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