Roxy Mitchell (also Slater) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera, EastEnders, portrayed by Rita Simons. Roxy arrived in Walford with her sister Ronnie (Samantha Womack) on 24 July 2007 and decides to move permanently to Walford from Ibiza where they ran a bar together. Roxy is the younger of the two sisters. She is described as the "fire", as opposed to Ronnie's "ice". Simons took a temporary hiatus in 2016, with Roxy off screen from 1 January until 4 May 2016. Following the announcement that Womack would be leaving the series, Simons' departure was also announced. Roxy departed the series in scenes broadcast on 1 January 2017, when she drowned in a hotel swimming pool along with Ronnie. Simons returned in 2019 to record a voiceover as Roxy, which was broadcast on 3 May 2019. A younger version of Roxy, played by Elodie de Rohan Willner, appeared in a flashback episode broadcast on 5 September 2022, which focuses on the Mitchell family in the 1970s. Simons reprised her role on 27 April 2023 for a one-off appearance as a hallucination to her daughter, Amy Mitchell (Ellie Dadd).
During Roxy's time on the show she has been married twice — to Sean Slater (Robert Kazinsky) and Alfie Moon (Shane Richie) — and engaged an additional three times — to Damian (James Hiller), Aleks Shirovs (Kristian Kiehling) and Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo). Her major storylines have included the paternity of her daughter Amy Mitchell (Abbie Knowles), becoming Landlady of The Queen Victoria, becoming a millionairess before squandering all the money on frivolous spending, her popular friendship with Christian Clarke (John Partridge), a feud with Alfie's ex-wife Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace), one-night stands with her sister's two husbands Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) and Charlie Cotton (Declan Bennett), Dean's attempted rape of her, and becoming a drugs mule. The character has proved popular with viewers, with Simons winning the "Best Newcomer" award at the Digital Spy Soap Awards in 2008 for her role in the soap opera.
Storylines
Roxy arrives in Walford with her sister, Ronnie Mitchell (Samantha Womack), from Ibiza, and they help run their aunt Peggy Mitchell's (Barbara Windsor) public house, The Queen Victoria. Roxy's philandering fiancé Damian (James Hillier) follows them to Walford, and Roxy seduces him for money so she and Ronnie can buy the local nightclub. However, Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) usurps Roxy, buying the club and going into partnership with Ronnie, whom he also dates. Roxy starts dating Sean Slater (Robert Kazinsky), but Ronnie tries to break them up when she discovers Sean is a drug dealer. It later emerges Roxy was once addicted to cocaine. After arguing with Ronnie, Roxy gets extremely drunk and has sex with Jack. She later discovers she is pregnant and tells Sean that he is the father, while she and Ronnie plan to return to Ibiza. They leave, but Ronnie soon returns looking for Roxy, revealing that after they argued in Ibiza, she disappeared. It transpires Roxy is living with their father Archie Mitchell (Larry Lamb) in Weymouth, to Ronnie's horror. Roxy is adamant she will live with Archie but Sean persuades her to return to Walford, telling her he loves her. They move in together upon their return, and later marry. Roxy goes into premature labour and gives birth to a girl, named Amy (Amelie Conway), after Ronnie's daughter who was adopted as a newborn. Roxy and Sean plan to move to Dagenham, but then Sean discovers Jack is Amy's father on Christmas Day. He pretends to forgive Roxy and asks her to move away with him. He drives Roxy and Amy drive to a frozen lake, revealing he intends to kill them all. Roxy gets Amy to safety, but she and Sean fall through the ice. They both survive, and in the wake of this Sean flees. Roxy then begins dating local GP Al Jenkins (Adam Croasdell), however their relationship ends when someone complains that he is seeing his patient.