Famed for her role in EastEnders, former soap legend Samantha Womack opened up about the huge lifestyle change she made with her partner
EastEnders star Samantha Womack has opened up about her decision to move from the UK to Spain. The actress and her partner, Oliver Farnworth, 43, decided to pack up their lives following Samantha’s breast cancer ordeal.
After sensing that “something wasn’t right” in 2022, the Ronnie Mitchell star sought a breast examination. A private ultrasound revealed an irregular shape, which was later diagnosed as invasive ductal carcinoma that had spread to her lymph nodes.
Subsequently, Samantha underwent surgery to remove five lymph nodes, followed by multiple rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The 53-year-old was fortunate that her cancer was detected early, and five months later she was told she was cancer-free.
Following this period in 2023, Samantha and her partner settled into their new home in the mountains of Valencia.
Speaking to The Metro newspaper, the actress explained that her family’s love for travel played a major role in the move. She said: “I’ve got a real wanderlust, which started from my grandmother.
“She was a choreographer on cruise ships and took me everywhere with her when I was young.
“I was going to places like the Panama Canal, Haiti or Barbados. Back in the 1970s, that was the big thing.
“I think that instigated a feeling in me that I liked visiting other places and seeing other ways of life,” she added.
“Staying in once place, often you stop growing. I’ve always looked at property abroad but never had the confidence to make a move.
“But as you get older, you think, why not?”
While she refers to Spain as her “happy place”, Samantha continues to make regular trips back to the UK for work commitments.
Since leaving EastEnders in 2017, she has taken on a number of theatre roles, including her current part in the stage show Dear England.
While she’s been out of the BBC soap for nine years, fans have frequently called for her and on-screen sister Rita Simons to return.
However, with both characters being killed off in dramatic scenes on Ronnie’s wedding day, Samantha struggles to see a realistic route back.
Speaking to us, she said: “We’ve had so many people ask me [about a return]. The only way we could return is if it wasn’t actually a real death.
“I mean, it’s soap, anything is possible but I don’t think it could be a Dallas dream, I don’t think soap does dreams the way Dallas did.”
Should she ever be offered the opportunity, Samantha also insists she wouldn’t return without Rita by her side.
“I would never go back without her, we’re joined at the hip really like the characters, they were one character, they were the same, the Mitchell sisters were like one organism,” she added.
Source: Mirror
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