Rita Simons has spoken about her shock decision to leave EastEnders after a decade on the show, saying she "had to get out of there".
Simons and her co-star Samantha Womack have had a long-running stint on the BBC soap as the Mitchell sisters Roxy and Ronnie and are set to exit the show after a heartbreaking storyline plays out over the festive period.
The 39-year-old actress told the Herts & Essex Observer that she is was ready for a new challenge, saying: "It was mutual, for a start, so you know, I wanted to go. A new boss came in, he wanted us to go, which we were all happy with.
"I had to get out of there, it was weird. I knew I had to get out of there because as an actor I needed to spread my wings."
Simons admitted that it would be emotional leaving the show after working on it for so many years but said she would remain close friends with her work mates.
"All this lot here, they're my family, so it's really hard to break away when you are so attached to your cast members, but I knew I had to go," she said.
"So when [the new producer] came to me with the idea I was ready to take it - I thought this is the kick up the bum I needed to go. So I have to just take a leap of faith and, yes, it's a big thing for a soap actor, but I have faith. I'll be best mates with them 'til the end."
Simons has played Roxy on Albert Square since she was introduced in 2007 alongside her sister Ronnie, and the Mitchells are teeing up for a dramatic departure, with show bosses saying it will be "unmissable".
The star is currently appearing in the panto Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and will return to the stage in the New Year for the touring version of the hit West End musical version Legally Blonde.
