Starring in EastEnders as feisty fan-favourite, Roxy Mitchell, Rita Simons has done it all in the world of soaps. But now it’s time for her to pass the torch over to her daughter, who’s set to feature in popular series, Silverpoint.
Unsurprisingly, while the 46-year-old actress has achieved a lot throughout her career, it’s her two children, Maiya and Jaimee, that are her most treasured contribution to the world.
The twins are making their mother very proud by carving out incredible careers in their own right.
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While 16-year-old Maiya is rocketing up the acting world, Jaimee is doing just as well.
The teenager is studying astrophysics and is so intelligent that her mum is “beginning to wonder if she’s mine.”
Talking about her children, Simmons said: “I give Maiya lots of advice. She used to come and wait in my dressing room at EastEnders so she could see me on the monitors. But with Jaimee, she tells me some of the questions in her homework, and I’m like, what are you talking about? She’s the opposite to me; I was even thrown out of drama for being disruptive!
“Yet Jaimee, I don’t have to ask her to do her homework; she’s already done it before I can even blink. She’s insanely smart and driven and disciplined.”
But the question remains, why did her kids turn out so different?
Simmons explained: “There’s quite a mix of gene pool in my family. Part of my family is creative, and part is super studious. My mum and brother are both solicitors, and so was my grandpa, and Theo’s brother is a bid analyst and very maths orientated.”
Unsurprisingly, when asked about who she worries about the most, she replied: “Oh, the actress, all day long.
“I’m constantly asking her if she really wants to do it. I’ve told her it’s going to be difficult, that she’ll be 46 and still having to go for auditions.
“But she loves it, and she’s amazing at it. She’s deaf but fearless, she doesn’t let her disability define her.
“Season 2 of Silverpoint is coming out, and we’re hoping for a season three, so she’s doing brilliantly.
“I just want her to bear in mind that it’s not an easy profession, and there are always a lot of knock-backs.”
Sadly, Simmons knows all about the heartbreak of the acting world.
After a decade of playing Roxy, she was written off the show in 2017, when she and her on-screen sister, Ronnie, played by Samantha Womack, drowned in a swimming pool.
But in a testament to her self-belief, she’s bounced back, starring in West End musicals Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and Hairspray.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
