Yahoo News EastEnders star Rita Simons opens up about having a hysterectomy
Former EastEnders star Rita Simons has opened up about her experiences after having a hysterectomy.
The actress, who played Roxy Mitchell on the BBC soap between 2007 and 2017, revealed to OK! Magazine that she had the procedure in order to preserve her health following “debilitating” periods.
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"Health comes first," she said. "I feel like it’s all been an attack on my femininity but my good mental health is good for my kids, it's good for [partner] Ben [Harlow]. They have felt my wrath when I’m premenstrual and they don’t deserve it.
"As a woman, we often take for granted that you can get pregnant and then when you are not able to and the choice is taken away..." she said, before recalling her painful experiences. "I was in panto and I got to the point where I was telling my agent not to book me on dates where I knew I’d be on my period, because it was so difficult to work.
"It was debilitating and I knew I couldn’t go through that every month. My emotions got completely freaked out every month," she continued. "It got to the point where I must have five days a month where I’m okay and then I start ovulating again and it’s all downhill."
The actress, who appeared on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2018, also recently explained why she opted for a facelift, admitting that she "wasn’t ready to age".
"I just wanted to feel like me again, like my old self," she said. "I feel great again now. I feel like I can hold my head up high. I’m going public with it because it’s helped my confidence so much. I wasn’t ready to age."
EastEnders airs on Mondays - Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer.
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