As EastEnders’ Bea Pollard ramps up her fixation with Honey Mitchell, we delve into Ronni Ancona’s life away from BBC soap
Bea has been trying to ruin Billy and Honey’s marriage in EastEnders (Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
Ronni Ancona has led an interesting life away from the screen and even once dated a co-star.
Earlier this year, EastEnders introduced Ronni’s character, Bea Pollard, as an old school friend of Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), and she has since been causing a lot of trouble around Walford.
Bea is an unpredictable and complex single woman who has become worryingly fixated on Honey Mitchell (Emma Barton) and her family, though she sometimes shows a caring side.
The chicken shop worker has so far defrauded Honey out of £5,000 after using a credit card to buy her way into the Mitchell family, and nearly killed Honey when she tampered with a ladder that was meant for Billy (Perry Fenwick).
In her latest sinister ploy, Bea has publicly accused Billy of cheating on Honey via an online dating app and has used AI technology to create voicenotes of the market trader.
Despite Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) paying Bea to disappear from Walford, she has lied to Honey about Billy taking a romantic interest in her, leaving his marriage in tatters.
Bea has also been romantically linked to Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt), though he ended things when a local newspaper article referred to them as husband and wife.
Will Honey ever see through Bea’s unhinged plans to take over her life?
Who plays Bea in EastEnders?
Bea Pollard is brought to life by Ronni Ancona. Prior to securing her EastEnders role, Ronni brilliantly mimicked soap icons Peggy Mitchell, Sharon Watts and Kat Slater, among others, in the BAFTA-winning programme The Big Impression, earning widespread critical praise.
The 58-year-old has built an illustrious career spanning more than three decades across television and film, boasting an impressive array of credits, including Last Tango in Halifax, Penelope, Skins, and The Trip, among numerous others.
She previously shared a romantic relationship with fellow comedian Alistair McGowan, who formed the other half of their comedy partnership on BBC One’s The Big Impression.
The pair first crossed paths at a comedy venue and instantly connected, with their romance enduring for seven years. However, it was whilst on a Cornish getaway with Ronni and her mates that he recognised their relationship was fracturing.
During a previous Guardian interview, Alistair revealed they ‘would have killed each other’ had they remained together. Discussing the Cornwall trip, he admitted: “I suddenly realised I had nothing to say to them.”
He acknowledged that his football obsession had contributed to their relationship’s demise, confessing: “I never thought of myself as an addict.
“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 further explained 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 split, they later collaborated on a book about football addiction, titled A Matter of Life and Death, Or How to Wean a Man off Football.
Since 2004, Ronni has been married to Gerard Hall, a consultant rheumatologist, and they share two daughters. The couple suffered the heartbreaking loss of their baby son, Seth, to stillbirth in 2006.
Strictly connection
In 2010, Ronni appeared in the Christmas special of Strictly Come Dancing and was partnered with professional dancer Anton Du Beke. The duo danced the Viennese Waltz to Andy Williams classic song, It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.
The festive show was hosted by Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly, with EastEnders legend June Brown also taking part in the competition along with Vince Cable, John Barrowman, and Fern Britton.
John and his professional partner, Kristina Rihanoff, topped the leaderboard with their quickstep, impressing the judges and the audience.
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday on BBC One and iPlayer
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