For years I couldn't look at my face

Ex-EastEnders star Rita Simons opens up to new about her newfound confidence and the insecurities behind her decision to have a Cinderella facelift

- GEMMA MCCARTNEY

Rita Simons has revealed astonishing undergoing results after a secret facelift. Opening up for the first time, the former EastEnders actress, 45, unveiled her look exclusively to new and told how she had developed sagging and"jowls" around her jawline as she's aged, which made a childhood scar more noticeable.

"I'm going public with it because it's helped my confidence so much," she said. "I wasn't ready to age and my jowls highlighted my scar even more. But I've done this for myself, it was purely personal." 

Dr Khan at London's Harley Street Skin Clinic

And she even admitted that she has avoided looking at her face for years because of her changing jawline. "I could feel the changes when I was washing my face," she told us. "I'm horrified at the before picture. I just wanted to feel like me again like my old self- and I do. I feel great again now. I feel like I can hold my head up high."

As Roxy with sister Ronnie (Sam Womack) In EastEnders

Rita, 45, feels so confident, that she's had her hair cut into a chic bob - something she would never have considered before, instead hiding behind her long hair.

"Cutting my hair is really symbolic - it means I've got nothing to hide," she admitted.

"I wouldn't have dreamed of cutting it short before, I didn't realise just how much I was hiding behind my hair. Having it short and not worrying what my jawline looks like is freeing."