Ronni Ancona, known for playing Bea Pollard on EastEnders, has a fascinating life beyond the soap, including a past romance with comedian Alistair McGowan and a stint on Strictly Come Dancing. Her character Bea has been causing chaos in Walford since arriving earlier this year, targeting Honey Mitchell and her family.
Bea Pollard's Walford Wreaking Havoc
Bea Pollard, a former schoolmate of Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), has been wreaking havoc in Albert Square. The volatile and complicated single woman has developed an alarming obsession with Honey Mitchell (Emma Barton) and her loved ones, though she occasionally shows compassion. Bea 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).
In her most recent devious scheme, Bea has openly alleged that Billy has been unfaithful to Honey through an online dating platform and used AI technology to fabricate voice messages from the market stallholder. Despite Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) bribing Bea to vanish from Walford, she has deceived Honey into believing that Billy has romantic feelings for her, leaving his marriage in ruins. Bea has also been romantically linked to Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt), though he ended their relationship after a local newspaper article described them as man and wife.
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, among others, in the BAFTA-winning show The Big Impression, garnering critical acclaim. The 58-year-old has forged a distinguished career spanning three decades in television and cinema, with credits including Last Tango in Halifax, Penelope, Skins, and The Trip.
She previously had a romantic relationship with fellow comic Alistair McGowan, her comedic partner on The Big Impression. The couple met at a comedy club and immediately clicked, with their romance lasting seven years. However, during a Cornish holiday with Ronni and her friends, McGowan realized 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. 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 later collaborated 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 married 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 Come Dancing Connection
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 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.
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday on BBC One and iPlayer.
