Life

Actress Rita Simons on hearing loss, mental health and never giving in

Actress Rita Simons is supporting a campaign to raise awareness of the risk of hearing loss
Actress Rita Simons is supporting a campaign to raise awareness of the risk of hearing loss Actress Rita Simons is supporting a campaign to raise awareness of the risk of hearing loss

RITA Simons played tough, glamorous and straight-talking Roxy Mitchell on BBC One's EastEnders for 10 years, until her role ended dramatically last year, when Roxy drowned in a swimming pool with Simons's on-screen sister Ronnie.

Since then, she has proved that there's life after Albert Square – she's set to star in feature film The Krays: Dead Man Walking, due for release later this year, and she's performing in a UK tour of Legally Blonde The Musical.

The 41-year-old, who is married to hairdresser Theo and has twin daughters, tells us about moving on, coping with her daughter Maiya's hearing problems and how she deals with her own anxiety...

What was the event that shook your world?

"When we were told that Maiya, at five months old, was deaf. It was shattering and I was in complete denial. Tests revealed she has enlarged vestibular aqueducts – a genetic deformity of the inner ear.

"She's profoundly deaf in her right ear and is partially deaf in her left ear, but a cochlear implant four years ago and hearing aids have changed her life. Before that, she used to have tantrums, because she was so frustrated at not being able to hear properly.

"Today, she has an incredible singing voice, impeccable speech, an ear for accents and her talent even won her a place at drama school.

"There's still a worry about safeguarding the hearing in her left ear. Going through puberty could possibly reduce it, but we've decided not to dwell on that and just hope for the best. It's also at risk if she has a knock on the head or hears an extremely loud noise, but Theo and I resolved years ago not to mollycoddle her.

"We'd rather she grew up having fun, than grew up with issues because she'd been restricted from being a normal child. There may be things we can do to fix that ear if, God forbid, something happened, but we could never give her back the fun she didn't have.

"As someone who has to go through every day caring for a child with hearing problems, my advice would be to do all you can to prevent hearing loss, especially at a young age. It can be hard to get the message across to youngsters about the need to protect their ears and be careful about not listening to music at excessive noise levels, but once it's gone, you can't get it back."

You suffer from generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), how do you cope with mental health issues?

"It's difficult sometimes. It's like a terrible knot in your stomach and it's to do with producing too much adrenaline.

"I go through phases with it; I'm in a good one at the moment where it's barely there, which is amazing. After I left EastEnders, I suffered with it for a couple of months, because of the uncertainty of starting new work.

"Currently, it's sporadic. I aim to channel my nerves and anxiety into my performance, to make it a positive in my life. I deal with both GAD and OCD [obsessive compulsive disorder], which I was diagnosed with as a child.

"Going to the gym and looking after myself helps. Also, I've been meditating religiously for the last five months, and it's really made a difference."

How did you feel about turning 40?

"My husband Theo is everything to me – he's my rock and without him, I'd be completely lost. He, very sweetly, organised a big party for me but at the 11th hour, I made him cancel it, because I didn't want to enter my 40s with a hangover.

"In the end, the two of us went to a spa in the countryside; we went on bike rides and had treatments like an old couple. Who'd have thought the girl who was once young, crazy and party-centric would do that?

"I feel about 18 in my head and I'm genuinely so happy in life. I'm not aiming for world domination – I just want to carry on doing the things which make me happy work-wise, which are acting, singing and dancing, and being with my family."

What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?

"I was in a girl band when I was younger and our manager told me, 'If you don't give up, you can't fail'. That's always stuck with me. I never give up on things, so I don't give in to failure. I regard Maiya's hearing as my greatest achievement. It wasn't easy going through it and deciding how to help her, but we did it as a family and it's worked out brilliantly."

:: Rita Simons is supporting a Cochlear campaign to raise awareness of the risk of permanent hearing loss. Visit cochlear.com for more information.