EASTENDERS STAR RONNI ANCONA’S SURPRISING STRICTLY CONNECTION REVEALED — and her famous ex has fans doing a double take
EastEnders' Bea Pollard actress Ronni Ancona has been causing chaos in Walford since her arrival earlier this year
Bea has been causing havoc in EastEnders (Image: BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
Ronni Ancona has enjoyed a fascinating life beyond the cameras and even previously had a romance with a fellow performer.
Earlier this year, EastEnders welcomed Ronni’s character, Bea Pollard, as a former schoolmate of Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), and she has subsequently been wreaking havoc throughout Walford.
Bea is a volatile, complicated single woman who has developed an alarming obsession with Honey Mitchell (Emma Barton) and her loved ones, though she occasionally shows compassion.
The chicken shop employee has already swindled Honey out of £5,000 after fraudulently using a credit card to infiltrate the Mitchell household, and nearly caused Honey’s death when she sabotaged a ladder intended for Billy (Perry Fenwick).
Bea is hellbent on ruining Billt Mitchell’s life in EastEnders (Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
In her most recent devious scheme, Bea has openly alleged that Billy has been unfaithful to Honey through an online dating platform and has employed AI technology to fabricate voice messages from the market stallholder, reports the Mirror.
Despite Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) bribing Bea to vanish from Walford, she has deceived Honey into believing that Billy has developed romantic feelings for her, leaving his marriage in ruins.
Bea has also been romantically linked to Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt), though he called time on their relationship after a local newspaper article described them as man and wife.
Will Honey ever recognise Bea’s deranged schemes to hijack her existence?
Who plays Bea in EastEnders?
Bea Pollard is portrayed by Ronni Ancona. Before landing her EastEnders role, Ronni masterfully impersonated soap legends Peggy Mitchell, Sharon Watts and Kat Slater, amongst others, in the BAFTA-winning show The Big Impression, garnering considerable critical acclaim.
Alistar McGowan as Dot Cotton, Ronni Aconca as Sharon Mitchell and Jan Ravens as Pat Butcher on The Big Impression(Image: BBC)
The 58-year-old has forged a distinguished career spanning three decades in television and cinema, showcasing an extensive portfolio of work, including Last Tango in Halifax, Penelope, Skins, and The Trip, amongst countless others.
She previously had a romantic relationship with fellow comic Alistair McGowan, who was the other half of their comedic duo on BBC One’s The Big Impression.
The couple met at a comedy club and immediately clicked, and their romance lasted seven years. Yet, it was during a Cornish holiday with Ronni and her friends that he realised their relationship was crumbling.
In a past Guardian interview, Alistair disclosed they ‘would have killed each other’ if they had stayed together. Reflecting on the Cornwall holiday, he confessed: “I suddenly realised I had nothing to say to them.”
He accepted that his football addiction had played a part in their relationship’s breakdown, admitting: “I never thought of myself as an addict.
Ronni with ex Alistair McGown in the Big Impression(Image: BBC)
“I loved the idea of turning up to see a play on a Saturday night with a football programme from the afternoon in my pocket. I thought of myself as cultured, interested in a wide variety of things, but I was an addict. I just didn’t realise.”
He went on to reveal that ‘it typified the clash’ between them, adding: “We were opposites, and that worked wonderfully: I became much wilder and more surreal in my comedy thanks to knowing and working with Ronni.
“But if we had stayed together, we would have killed each other – literally killed each other. And football would have been responsible for that.”
Despite their separation, they subsequently joined forces on a book about football addiction, entitled A Matter of Life and Death, Or How to Wean a Man off Football.
Since 2004, Ronni has been wed to Gerard Hall, a consultant rheumatologist, and they have two daughters together. The pair endured the devastating loss of their baby son, Seth, to stillbirth in 2006.
Strictly connection
Ronni Ancona and Anton Du Beke competed in the Strictly 2010 Christmas special(Image: BBC / Guy Levy)
In 2010, Ronni featured in the Christmas special of Strictly Come Dancing and was paired with professional dancer Anton Du Beke. The pair performed the Viennese Waltz to Andy Williams’ classic track, It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.
The festive programme was presented by Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly, with EastEnders icon June Brown also participating in the contest alongside Vince Cable, John Barrowman, and Fern Britton.
John and his professional dance partner, Kristina Rihanoff, stormed to the top of the leaderboard with their quickstep, wowing both the judges and the audience.
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday on BBC One and iPlayer
