EXCLUSIVE: Soap star Samantha Womack left EastEnders in 2017 and would have stayed in the job if she could, but now she’s revealed why she’s glad she left and how she could return
EastEnders legend Samantha Womack says leaving the soap was a kind of “trauma”.
The 52-year-old actress played Ronnie Mitchell on the BBC soap until 2017, when Ronnie and sister Roxy (Rita Simons) drowned in a hotel swimming pool in Ibiza. Samantha has just told Daily Star that the siblings could make a shock return to the soap and that maybe the pair are still alive.
Samantha has now revealed how she struggled with her EastEnders exit as she “loved” the cast and crew so much. She admits she got used to the “paycheck” and would have stayed on the soap if she’d had it her way, but now she’s “really glad” she left as it allowed her to develop as an actress.
Asked if she’d return to the soap, she said: “I would never say never to anything now, because it wasn’t right for me to stay in that job at the time, because I’ve been there for a long time, and you get lazy. You get used to making regular money, which is a self employed artist.
“Essentially, you start to become less creative and more scared, because you’re used to that paycheck. So probably, if I’ve been given the decision to leave or stay I was, I would have stayed because that’s the way our whole system is geared up, is towards financial security.
She continued: “I’m really glad now that I left, because I got to reflect on it, but also I got to realize what a great part of my life it was, like I loved the people there. Loved them, like, not just the cast members, like, you know, I grew up with as a young woman, all the camera operators makeup, we were like family, you know.
The star admitted leaving felt like “trauma” as she’d grown so attached to the people on set: “So that was the trauma of leaving the job. Actually, it was like leaving this weird family. But, yeah, no, I’m glad it happened.
Samantha joked she’d return if it was offered to her as she could use the money, adding: “But no, I’d never say never to anything. I’m not that rich.”
It seems like she’s already figured out how Ronnie and Roxy could pull of the ultimate EastEnders twist, too. Asked if she’d ever return via a flashback, Samantha said: “Listen, I’d go even further than that to say if they could find some manufactured way where we’d like died artificially, or we don’t know how you do it.
“Billy works as the undertaker. So you say maybe he gave us those drugs that make your heart stop for five minutes so we can disappear back to Ibiza, who knows…”
Actress and breast cancer survivor Samantha Womack is campaigning for women to ask about their breast density following a mammogram, because if you have dense breasts, then getting the all clear does not necessarily mean you are cancer free. The new Keep Abreast of your Breast Density campaign from GenesisCare and Samantha Womack aims to educate women that knowledge is power when it comes to knowing their breast density, encouraging them to speak up and ask the right questions following their mammogram.
While mammograms are a great screening tool for many women, for those with dense breasts it is harder to spot anything out of the ordinary, and cancer can be missed. Dense breast tissue is found in approximately half of women who are aged forty and worryingly, women with extremely dense breasts are six times more likely to get breast cancer than those with fatty breasts.
Women in the UK are not currently informed about their breast density following a mammogram, and currently no further additional imaging is offered for women with dense breasts. GenesisCare is committing to proactively inform all women who undergo a mammogram what their breast density score is.
Womack says: “It seems totally crazy that all women aren’t being provided with this information as standard – well done GenesisCare on taking the lead on something so critical.” Having survived breast cancer after her shock diagnosis in 2022, Samantha Womack is passionate about helping others to detect the disease early.
She says: “I want women to understand the risks of dense breast and feel confident to speak up following their mammogram so they can make an informed decision whether they want to proceed with further investigative treatment. Don’t be afraid to speak up – It could save your life.
The Keep Abreast of your Breast Density campaign doesn’t just educate about the risks, but also encourages and empowers women to speak up and ask the right questions that could save their lives. Information is power and without it, tumours are being missed.”
GenesisCare has also launched a new screening service where patients who have dense breast tissue can benefit from a rapid breast MRI scan for early detection of cancer. These scans, which aren’t widely available as standard screening unless you have a very high risk of breast cancer, are now available privately at GenesisCare centres in Oxford and Windsor.
Samantha Womack is partnering with private cancer care provider GensisCare to encourage women to Keep Abreast of their Breast Density. For more information on Dense Breast and Rapid Breast MRI scans, please visit https://www.genesiscare.com/uk/breast_density_awareness
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
