FORMER EastEnders star Rita Simons says Barbara Windsor still had her “cheeky spark” when she saw her but admits it’s hard to visit.
In a wide-ranging interview, the I’m A Celeb star, 43, talks her worst habits, great achievements and visiting Barbara recently.
What is your greatest fear?
Anyone I love coming to harm.
Which word do you overuse?
Probably the c word. I’ve got an automatic mode that turns it off when I’m around the kids [twins Maiya and Jaimee, 14], though.
What is your worst habit?
Squeezing spots and using my e-cigarette.
How often do you have sex?
My mother’s going to read this so I’m not telling you!
What is your experience of grief?
Losing my grandpa Sammy who died two weeks before my twins were born. He had cancer and it was very sudden. I come from a tight Jewish family and my grandparents were like surrogate parents to me.
What makes you angry?
Quite a lot! I can’t bear unjustness, small-mindedness or rudeness.
Which public figure do you admire?
The Queen. The poor woman has been through so much and just gets on with it.
Who was your first kiss?
Justin Wigodsky. I snogged him because of peer pressure in a game of Spin The Bottle.
What does being in love feel like?
I’ve been married 24 years [to hairdresser Theo Silveston, 43]. It’s when you know that someone else’s happiness is at the forefront of your mind and everything you do, you consider that other person.
What has been your greatest achievement?
Having my twins. Also getting Maiya a cochlear implant. Her hearing deteriorated from birth, so by the time she was seven she’d gone deaf in her right ear and had little hearing in the left. Now she’s at drama school and sings and speaks beautifully.
If you could travel back in time where would you go?
London in Victorian times.
What would your epitaph be?
“Oh f**k”. I’d like it to be just that.
What’s the most pain you’ve experienced?
Having my tattoo removed.
How do you relax?
I meditate and exercise every day. I love to sit in front of my wood burner with a glass of wine, a book and music.
What is top of your bucket list?
I want to see the Northern Lights and stay in a glass-roofed igloo.
What do you think happens when we die?
I believe there’s something else. I do think our souls go on to somewhere.
Celebrity you’d love to snog?
Tom Hardy. He’s just fit, isn’t he?
Clean or messy?
Definitely clean.
Most famous person in your phone?
My uncle [Lord Alan Sugar] and Barbara Windsor. I went to see her the other day. She remembered me and I was pleased because Scott her husband had said: “If she doesn’t recognise you, please don’t be offended.” I’ve always known Barbara as the funniest, sharpest, wittiest, life and soul. She’s still got that funny, cheeky spark, but it’s hard to visit her.
