EastEnders legend returns to Walford tomorrow in shock comeback from beyond the grave
EASTENDERS legend Rita Simons will make an explosive return from the dead tomorrow night.
The actress is reprising her role as Roxy Mitchell for a one off special episode but with the hope it will lead to a full-time comeback.
EastEnders fans will remember how Rita, 46, was supposedly drowned alongside her on-screen sister Ronnie, played by Sam Womack back in 2017.
The scenes involved Rita as Roxy were filmed earlier this year and will air on Thursday night.
On screen Roxy will be seen with her daughter Amy in Albert Square, as the teen continues to struggle with her mental health.
Almost ten million people watched the sisters apparently drown on screen in a shocking storyline which went down in soap history.
The pair first arrived in Walford in 2007 and were the cousins of Phil and Grant Mitchell.
In the traumatic scenes which saw the pair seemingly lose their lives, Roxy was seen getting into trouble in a swimming pool in the hours after Ronnie married Jack Branning.
Robbie was then seen jumping into the pool to save her life.
At the time EastEnders boss Sean O’Connor said he wanted a dramatic end for the siblings.
He said: “[Ronnie and Roxy] were not the sort of characters that would leave in the back of a taxi.
“We wanted to give them an operatic ending.”
Previously a conspiracy theory began which said both sisters were still alive and living in Ibiza.
However The Sun understands that Samantha’s character will not be coming back, only Roxy played by Rita.
At the time of her departure, Rita said: “A new boss came in, he wanted us to go, which we were all happy with.
“I had to get out of there, it was weird. I knew I had to get out of there because as an actor I needed to spread my wings.”
Samantha, however, said she believed that she and Rita were the victims of clashing storyline schemes by feckless EastEnders bosses – who didn’t like her fighting to protect Ronnie’s “authenticity”.
EastEnders boss Sean left the soap after falling ratings.
Chris Clenshaw is the current Executive Producer on the soap and has been praised in recent times for a raft of exciting new plotlines – including masterminding Danny Dyer’s explosive exit and Dot Cotton’s funeral.
EastEnders airs at 7.30pm on Thursday, April 27 on BBC One.