Who is Samantha Womack and is the Eastenders star married?
SAMANTHA Womack is best known for playing Ronnie Mitchell in the BBC soap EastEnders.
On August 9, 2022, the actress revealed she has been diagnosed with breast cancer as she paid tribute to Grease icon Olivia Newton-John.
Who is Samantha Womack?
Samantha, formally known as Samantha Janus, was born November 2, 1972, and is a British actress, singer, model and director.
She first came to prominence in March 1991 when she won the Eurovision Song Contest representing the UK at the age of 18.
She finished joint tenth and the song, "A Message to Your Heart", peaked at number 30 on the UK Singles Chart.
On August 9, 2022, Womack paid tribute to Dame Olivia Newton-John following her death from breast cancer and confirmed on Twitter that she had been diagnosed with the disease herself.
Uploading a throwback photo from her time on the West End stage in the Grease production, Samantha recalled how Olivia came to see her on stage.
She wrote: "This was the most magical of evenings. Olivia and Chloe had come to see Grease in London and we had dinner together afterwards.
"I was so excited and in awe, she was my childhood. I now start my own battle with this disease and am left feeling deeply moved."
Is Samantha Womack married and does she have any children?
Samantha married Italian Junfan Mantovani in 1997, but they divorced the following year.
She then began a relationship with Liverpool 1 co-star Mark Womack.
They married in 2009 after ten years together.
The couple have two children together - son Benjamin Thomas (born 2001) and daughter Lili-Rose (born 2005).
But in May 2021, it was revealed that Samantha had split with Mark after finding love with her new boyfriend Oliver Farnworth.
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What TV shows and films has Samantha Womack starred in?
Womack developed her love of acting, appearing in The Bill, Game On, and Pie in the Sky.
In May 2007 it was announced that she would be joining EastEnders as Ronnie Mitchell.
She had previously appeared in the soap in a minor role as the girlfriend of Simon Wicks.
Womack made her final appearance as Ronnie in July 2011 when the character was sent to prison.
She returned to the role in 2013 and continued until leaving for good in early 2017 when the character was killed off.
In 2015 she made a break into movies when she starred in the 2015 film Kingsman: The Secret Service as Taron Egerton's character's mum
Fun fact - her cousin is Calum Best, and her uncle was the late George Best.