EastEnders star Samatha Womack licked her co-star Rita Simons’ face as the pair reunited for a theatre outing on Wednesday.
The soap stars, who played sisters Ronnie and Roxy Mitchell, proved they have remained great friends since their characters were killed off in 2017 as part of a drowning plotline.
The duo headed out in the West End for The Last Laugh press night at Noël Coward Theatre – and cosied up for a set of hilarious snaps.
Posing outside the theatre, Samantha was seen sticking her tongue at Rita, 47, before licking her face, at which point the pair burst out laughing.
Samantha, 52, put on a busty display in a plunging black blazer while Rita sported baggy grey jeans with a camel blazer.
Later that night Samantha and Rita reunited with another EastEnders cast member, Shane Ritchie, as they headed to the press night after party at Browns.
EastEnders star Samatha Womack licked her co-star Rita Simons’ face as the pair reunited for a theatre outing in London on Wednesday
Later that night Samantha and Rita reunited with another EastEnders cast member, Shane Ritchie, as they headed to the press night after party at Browns
In a funny clip, Rita was seen chatting Shane who she referred to as ‘grandad’.
‘For years she’s called me grandad and she’s only three years older than me,’ he said, before kissing Rita on the forehead.
‘Yeah you wish,’ she replied as the pair began to laugh.
The cast reunion comes amid the soap’s 40th anniversary, where a huge explosion saw Reiss Colwell (Jonny Freeman) crash into the pub, triggering a devastating collapse that claimed the life of show veteran Martin Fowler (James Bye).
Colwell himself also perished, crushed by a bathtub in the wreckage.
Following his heroic attempt to rescue his longtime love Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), Martin was crushed by a falling beam.
At first, it appeared that he had been successfully rescued from underneath the beam, but his heart then stopped as firefighters rushed to try and save him.
His ex-wife Stacey was left in floods of tears as Martin died in front of her eyes just moments after he declared his love for her and proposed.
Posing outside the theatre, Samantha was seen sticking her tongue at Rita, 47, before licking her face, at which point the pair burst out laughing
Samantha, 52, put on a busty display in a plunging black blazer while Rita sported baggy grey jeans with a camel blazer
Rita and Samantha posed alongside their EastEnders castmate Shane Ritchie at the after party
In a funny clip, Rita was seen chatting Shane who she referred to as ‘grandad’
The heartbreaking episode ended with Stacey hugging Martin’s lifeless body while her screams could be heard by those waiting outside the Queen Vic for news.
Rita’s outing comes after she announced that she is engaged to her partner Ben Harlow.
Rita, who has been dating the producer since 2020, took to her Instagram on Saturday with the good news and proudly showed off her gorgeous diamond ring.
The couple couldn’t wipe the smiles from their faces as they posed for several sweet snaps in the comfort of their own home.
Rita captioned the announcement with: ‘….so this happened! (ring emojis) @benjyharlow ❤️’
She has been in a relationship with the former actor since 2020 after the pair met while performing in Legally Blonde the Musical in 2017.
Last week, viewers watched on in horror as the iconic boozer was devastated by an explosion, bursting into flames and trapping terrified residents inside
Rita’s outing comes after she announced that she is engaged to her partner Ben Harlow
While previously discussing her romance, Rita said Ben is ‘the loveliest man on the planet’ and that it’s only because she’s ‘so happy’ now she can see what a ‘mess’ she was.
Before her relationship with Ben, Rita was married to Theo Silveston for 14 years before separating in 2018.
The actress had reportedly been ‘growing apart’ from the hairdresser and they decided to end their relationship after a period of separation.
However, after the couple split in 2018, Rita struggled with depression, insomnia and more.
