EastEnders legend joins rival soap Hollyoaks as she teases trouble ahead

15 January 2024 , 21:00

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EastEnders legend Rita Simons - who played Roxy Mitchell in the BBC soap - is heading for Hollyoaks as brand new character Marie alongside actors Rory Douglas-Speed, Jamie Lomas and Jennifer Metcalfe (Image: Handout)

An EastEnders legend is set to join Hollyoaks as new character Marie and has teased trouble ahead.

Roxy Mitchell star Rita Simons is heading to Hollyoaks to play Marie. Her appearance will be revealed in a special after-credit trailer, which will air after Hollyoaks hour long special during Tuesday night's E4 episode.

Marie is the mother of popular Hollyoaks character, Joel Dexter, played by Rory Douglas Speed, and when she heads into the village, she nabs Mercedes' red dress from the McQueen washing line.

Speaking about joining the show, she said: "Marie’s got a lot of ties here, so I think there’s going to be quite a lot of trouble between quite a few characters, and you will just have to keep watching to see..."

Rita Simons is joining the cast of Hollyoaks (Lime Pictures)

Hollyoaks are airing some huge scenes tonight online - and tomorrow on TV - with several characters facing serious danger, but will any of them make it out alive after a massive car pile-up that will change everything on the show

EastEnders' Jake Wood's snap of son has fans pointing out the pair's likeness

Jorgie Porter, who is reprising her role as Theresa McQueen in the big scenes, told us: "This is a massive comeback special with the McQueens... big things happening, there’s like thousands of people on set, it’s huge! So I think we can expect from Theresa a lot of her just being in everyone’s business," whilst Kieron Richardson's character Ste Hay is also caught up in the big scenes.

Teasing what's in store for Ste and others in the village, Kieron told us: "So without giving too much away, this car journey is about to change a lot of people’s lives. Mine included…. it’s all very dramatic, very exciting and I can’t wait for you to see it."

Elsewhere, Joel Dexter and his partner - and fellow firefighter - Leela Lomax find themselves caught up in the drama as they attend the scene and try to rescue the injured. Actor Rory Douglas Speed told us: "I think it’s exciting, it’s exactly what the audience want. There’s a bit of a nuance to it and there’s a lot of history, a lot of drama waiting to unfold so I think it’ll be good."

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Jasmine Allday