EastEnders legend Rita Simons has told how she had to call on a co-star for help when she got stuck NAKED in a bathroom.
The actress, 46, who played Walford’s Roxy Mitchell, was filming her TV comeback when the embarrassing incident happened.
A former EastEnders icon recalled how she got stuck naked in her bathroom
Rita Simons portrayed Roxy Mitchell for nine years
She’s due to make her TV comeback on BBC Two
Rita is one of seven famous faces featuring in the fifth series of BBC2 reality show Pilgrimage.
The celebrities travel 364km along the northern route of the Fatima Way in Portugal, sleeping in pilgrim hostels and campsites along the way.
But the trek proved challenging for Rita, who has scoliosis, which is an abnormal curvature of the spine and can cause pain and mobility issues.
In an interview with TV Mag ahead of the launch of the series, which begins next week, the Jewish star revealed that she was completely starkers when she found herself unable to move and had to ask fellow celebrity Su Pollard to help.
Rita said: “One night we got back to our hostel and I was naked in the bathroom with Su, as you are, and I just remember looking in the mirror and I was like, crack: ‘Oh Su, I’m stuck.’ I was stuck on the side.
“I have quite bad scoliosis, so my spine is S-shaped and it’s really not great. It hurts a lot of the time.
“The walking was hard because It’s really challenging when you’ve got scoliosis to carry the bag, but the crew were amazing with me and if I needed to stop they’d help me out.”
Pilgrimage is Rita’s first TV role since starring in ITV drama Professor T last year.
She is best known for playing Albert Square bombshell Roxy from 2007 to 2017, when she died in a swimming pool along with her sister Ronnie (Samantha Womack).
The celebrities’ pilgrimage takes them to the Sanctuary in the city of Fatima, where they attend a candlelit vigil celebrating the Virgin Mary with nearly 70,000 pilgrims.Â
Joining Rita and Su on the 15-day adventure are singer Shane Lynch, TV star Bobby Seagull, comedian Nabil Abdulrashid, Paralympian skier Millie Knight and Geordie Shore star Vicky Pattison.
Rita added: “The best bit was meeting that lot. We laughed so much.
“For me – I’ve said this before – I normally hit a wall on every job I do at some point and think: ‘Why did I sign up for this?’ But I didn’t hit a wall at all because they’re all gorgeous.
“I was obviously in a much better place than I have been previously so I had the time of my life.”
Pilgrimage: The Road Through Portugal begins on Friday April 7 at 9pm on BBC2. TV Mag is free inside HOAR every Saturday.
Rita revealed she was rescued by Su Pollard
The stars will appear in Pilgrimage: The Road Through Portugal which begins on Friday April 7
