EASTENDERS legend Rita Simons has married her “best friend” in a stunning rural wedding.
The BBC One show alum, 48, only revealed the pair had got engaged back in January, with a sweet Instagram upload.
7
7
7
Now Rita, who is best-known for playing EastEnders‘ Roxy Mitchell, has tied the knot with Ben Harlow in the same year.
The actress took to her social media grid to reveal the happy news as well as a handful of snapshots showing her stunning boho bridal look.
Rita opted for an off the shoulder flowing cream dress adorned with a floral print for the ceremony in Carlisle, Cumbria.
She styled her blonde hair into waves and a half-up style with fresh make-up.
Her new groom Ben opted for a handsome beige suit and crisp white shirt.
The lovebirds shared images showing them enjoying a kiss while in front of a lake as well as holding hands when strolling through a park.
Rita also gave a snapshot of the ceremony, too, with the pair looking blissfully in love as they read their vows in a wood-floored barn.
She then hopped onto the stage with Blue’s Duncan James during the wedding reception to mark their special night.
In her emotional caption, the soap star wrote: “Well this happened yesterday!
“I married my best friend @benjyharlow. Just a little teaser before I have the good stuff from @the.event.editor content creator.”
She added: “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 @hiddenriverbarn 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!
“The stars of the day were (apart from my babies @jaimee_silv @maiya.sammy ) @therocketscollective who rocked SO hard for the entire day and night! (Videos incoming!)”
She then told of All Rise singer Duncan’s role in the special day and added: “Thank you my darling @mrduncanjames for giving me away, I love you forever.”
EastEnders stars who QUIT
MICHELLE Collins has seen her second EastEnders stint boost her bank balance. Yet what stars have quit this year?
The Sun exclusively reported how Michelle, 62, was down to £20,000 in her company accounts when she agreed to a shock back-from-the-dead return to Albert Square last year.
Her character, Cindy Beale, was presumed dead off-camera in 1998.
Yet what about the 2024 exits?
Earlier this summer, loyal soap fans appeared to note how Stevie Mitchell had “quit” the long-running series.
It came after Alan Ford enjoyed just six-months on-screen.
Bobby Beale actor Clay Milner Russell also left this year after five years in Walford.
Fans also feared Martin Fowler actor James Bye would “quit out of boredom” over recent storylines.
Additionally, a host of stars have quit the BBC soap for Hollywood fame.
One of the most successful stars to come from the BBC One soap is Rob Kazinsky.
He played Stacey Slater’s brother Sean Slater from 2006 to 2009, he has starred in Hollywood blockbusters Pacific Rim and Captain Marvel.
Ben Hardy, who quit EastEnders as Bobby Beale almost a decade ago, went on to break Hollywood the following year, when he starred as Archangel in X-Men: Apocalypse.
Since then, he has played Roger Taylor in Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, and he starred in Michael Bay’s Netflix movie 6 Underground.
Michelle Ryan played Zoe Slater until 2005.
She starred as the lead in short-lived American series Bionic Woman from 2007 to 2008.
HAPPY ENGAGEMENT
The pair’s wedding comes just nine months after their engagement.
In the Instagram picture back in January, Rita can be seen showing off her engagement ring as she poses for the camera, while Ben beams for the camera as he sits beside her.
Captioning the post, Rita wrote: “… so this happened!”
The actress then added two sparkling ring emojis and an excited face.”
Rita and theatre actor Ben first met in 2017 when they both starred in the touring production of hit musical Legally Blonde.
They started dating a couple of years later after Rita split with her first husband of 14 years, Theo Silveston.
The former couple had met in 2004 and welcomed twin daughters together before they separated in 2018.
Their divorce was finalised in 2020.
Rita joined EastEnders as Roxy in 2007 and became a fan favourite before she was brutally killed off alongside on-screen sister Ronnie in a tragic New Year storyline in 2017.
She went on to appear on I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here in 2018 before joining Hollyoaks last year as Marie Fielding.
7
7
7
7