EastEnders' Samantha Womack recovers after "terrifying" pizza-choking ordeal

Samantha Womack, who plays Ronnie Mitchell on EastEnders, was rushed to hospital after choking on her pizza.
Samantha Womack is now recovering at home after the ill-fated pizza incident.
Kitty Knowles8 April 2014
The Weekender

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EastEnders actress Samantha Womack has suffered a “terrifying” hospital ordeal after choking on a slice of pizza.

The 41-year-old was eating dinner with her family when a piece of crust became wedged in her throat, and left her struggling to breath.

A source told The Sun: 'It was terrifying for her. Once doctors had removed the food, they put a camera down her throat to ensure the airway was fully clear.'

The Ronnie Mitchell actress, who is now recovering at home, wrote on Twitter: "Ok…Here goes. I inhaled pizza - literally choked. Had camera down nose. Rescued by lovely doctor. Back to suck out lungs tomorrow!!!"

The EastEnders actress also admitted she was “deeply embarrassed” by the whole affair, tweeting: "So to conclude. Deeply embarrassing choking on pizza incident. Officially greedy big mouth gannet. #mynosehurts."

Sam's character returned to EastEnders last year where she caused controversy by kidnapping Kat Slater’s new-born baby and switching it with her own child who had died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

The BBC received more than 9,000 complaints regarding the storyline.

‘It was a brilliant plot line but very difficult to play,’ Womack told Hello!. ‘It was draining emotionally and physically and by the end I was shattered with all the crying and weeping.’

More recently, she filmed steamy scenes with Declan Bennett, who plays EastEnders' Charlie Cotton, to be aired on Friday.

Speaking about playing Mitchell, Womack said: ‘Ronnie is steely and a bit of a matriarch with a lot more power and backbone. She’s found her old inner strength. A bit like me.’

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