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Rita Simons has announced that she is engaged to her partner Ben Harlow.
The EastEnders star, 47, who has been dating the producer since 2020, took to her Instagram on Saturday with the good news and proudly showed off her beautiful diamond ring.
The couple couldn’t wipe the smiles off their faces as they posed for several sweet photos in the comfort of their own home.
Rita captioned the announcement with: ‘…so this happened! (ring emojis) @benjyharlow ‘
Fans and friends rushed to the comments section to congratulate the happy couple, with Hollyoaks star Steph Waring writing: “Congratulations to you both!”
As fans commented: ‘Awwww AMAZING!!! Congratulations to both of you.’; Yes to this!!! Congratulations to both of you.’
Rita Simons has announced that she is officially engaged to her partner Ben Harlow.
The EastEnders star, 47, who has been dating the producer since 2020, took to her Instagram on Saturday with the good news and proudly showed off her beautiful diamond ring.
Rita captioned the announcement with: ‘…so this happened! (ring emojis) @benjyharlow ‘
Rita, best known for playing Roxy Mitchell in the BBC soap, has been in a relationship with the former actor since 2020 after the couple met while performing in Legally Blonde the Musical in 2017.
While previously speaking about their romance, Rita said Ben is “the loveliest man on the planet” and it’s only because she’s “so happy” that she can now see what a “mess” he was.
Prior to her relationship with Ben, Rita was married to Theo Silveston for 14 years before separating in 2018.
According to reports, the actress had been growing distant from the hairdresser and they decided to end their relationship after a period of separation.
However, after the couple split in 2018, Rita struggled with depression, insomnia, and more.
In the end, the stress, pressure and heartbreak caused him to have a nervous breakdown.
talking to OK! Magazine In 2021, Rita explained: “I was physically sick every two weeks and lost a lot of weight.”
“Every night I went on stage in the West End in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie after having a tense conversation with Theo and, later, receiving legal letters.”
Rita, who plays Roxy Mitchell in the BBC soap, has been in a relationship with the former actor since 2020 after the couple met while performing in Legally Blonde the Musical in 2017.
While speaking about their romance, Rita previously said that Ben is “the loveliest man on the planet” and that it is only because he is “so happy” that she can now see what a “mess” he was.
Prior to her relationship with Ben, Rita was married to Theo Silveston for 14 years before separating in 2018 (both pictured in 2017).
Rita and her ex-husband Theo share twin daughters, Jaimee and Maiya (all pictured in 2014)
‘And I would just cry, go on stage, come out, cry and respond. I also had terrible insomnia for about a year.’
And he added: “When I am not happy, my dream is the first thing that is lost and then the consequence is depression and anxiety.”
In 2019, while starring in the play The House On Cold Hill, the star suffered a nervous breakdown. “My mind went to some major dark places,” Rita admitted.
Previously speaking with the sunHe said: “There were some stairs on set that I went up to the stage, quite high at the top.”
And I thought I could throw myself on the ground. I didn’t want to die. I just wanted to hurt myself enough to go to the hospital and have someone take care of me. “That was terrifying.”