EastEnders legends spark rumours they’re returning to show with reunion snaps – nine years after being killed off

EASTENDERS legends Samantha Womack and Rita Simons have sparked rumours they could be making their Albert Square return – despite being killed off NINE years ago.

The beloved pair, who were known for playing Walford sisters Ronnie and Roxy Mitchell, were a huge part ofthe soap for almost a decade until they were bumped off in a bizarre drowning plot.

Samantha, 53, and Rita, 49, have remained close since they were axed from EastEnders nearly ten years ago.

And now the two women – who joined the soap in 2007 – have teased they could be making their soap comeback with a telling photo.

Taking to her Instagram Stories, Rita shared a snap of herself with Sam, and in the pic she had her finger on her lips – as though she had a secret she isn’t allowed to tell.

This picture sent fans into meltdown who are now convinced that the actresses are going to bring Ronnie and Roxy back from the dead.

Taking to Reddit to discuss, one fan said: “God no. WE SAW THEM DIE.

“Think that will be the final straw with me with EastEnders if they bring them back.”

However, other fans were thrilled at the idea, with this one writing: “This would be the only plot hole I wouldn’t care about!”

A third said: “It would be ridiculous but I’m here for it!”

Another fan agreed: “I want this to happen!”

Fans were left heartbroken when Sam and Rita’s EastEnders characters died after meeting a watery end on New Year’s Day 2017.

In one of the soap’s more unexpected moments, they passed away in a hotel swimming pool on Ronnie’s wedding day.

After the bride attempted to go for a drunken dip in her bridal gown, she started to struggle as the weight of the dress made it difficult to stay above water.

Roxy dived in to help – but ultimately both of them drowned.

Samantha previously opened up about her “devastation” she felt when she heard her character was going to get the chop.

Ronnie was a big part of life in Albert Square for ten years before a new producer at the time decided her time on EastEnders was up.

The no-nonsense gym owner went through several hard- hitting plotlines, including one that saw her suffer from underage rape.

In another shocking plot, she swapped her dead baby for her close friend Kat’s son while overwhelmed with grief.

Samantha shared that she actually thought her character would be able to tackle less gritty scenes when Sean O’Connor joined the soap’s production team in 2017.

“He was coming in, I was excited because I thought she [Ronnie] had got really dark and it had become really over-sensationalised,” the actress said in 2023.

“So with this new guy coming in, great, I’d heard he wanted to take it back to kind of reality, less murders. And I was thinking great, that’s right up my street.”

Sadly, that was not what happened and Sean said he wanted to kill Ronnie off instead.

“I was devastated because I wasn’t planning to leave,” Samantha told Daily Star.

“I was ‘like what?!’ First time I ever met him.

“So yeah, I had to drown myself. That was really hard, having to kill someone that I loved.”