Former EastEnders actress, Samantha Womack, has teased fans that she’ll be making her on-screen comeback this September, and her return is hotly tipped to be in the line-up for this year’s Strictly Come Dancing.
Although she hasn’t dropped any hint at her joining the dance contest, Samantha recently revealed: “I’m going to have the summer off and I’m going back on the telly in September.”
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Swapping pulling pints at The Queen Vic to practicing pirouettes in the Strictly ballroom, her new starring role will be a world away from her time as Ronnie Mitchell on the BBC soap, which she joined in 2007.
But despite being part of several traumatic story lines throughout her ten-year stint on the soap, Samantha, 45, has previously confessed that although she ‘loves dancing’, she hates ‘people judging me’.
The actress also bravely said she suffers from anxiety, so taking part in Strictly would be a big step.
Samantha said: “I’m much better in a safer environment. I would really have to manage my anxiety on a job like that. I’ve done lots of musicals but I’m not a dancer, so I would be nervous about that.”
She added: “What appeals to me is the fitness, and I love dancing in general.”
The mum-of-three has previously turned down her chance to appear on the glitzy show, as she believed her EastEnders story lines at the time were too emotionally draining.
“I was too busy crying for a living, so I couldn’t get enough rehearsal time,” she joked.
The formidable blonde, along with her sister Roxie, were killed off in an explosive episode on New Year’s Day.
Ronnie, who was set to marry on-screen love, Jack Branning, went for a swim while drunk, and the weight of her wedding dress drowned both her and her sister, who had jumped in to try to rescue her.
Her departure was Samantha’s second from the soap, after taking a break of nearly two years after her baby-swapping story line in 2011 caused her to suffer verbal abuse while she was out in the street.
If Samantha does join the show, she’ll be the latest in a long line up of the soap’s stars – most recently, Davood Ghudami, who plays market trader Kush, who made it to week 11 during last year’s contest.
Snake-hipped Jake Hall also had us swooning in 2014, and both Jill Halfpenny and Kara Tointon took home the glitter ball trophy in 2004 and 2010, respectively.
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Samantha certainly has a lot to live up to!
Other celebrities rumoured to be in the line-up this year include The Great British Bake Off”s Liam Charles, sports presenter Chris Kamara, 80s TV star Anneka Rice, TV and radio presenter Maya Jama, and even Coleen Rooney.
Coronation Street star Catherine Tyldesley only has a few weeks left on the cobbles, too, so Samantha could find herself with some soap star competition!
Would you like to see Samantha Cha Cha Cha to victory? Or do you have another EastEnders’ star in mind? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think!