There was a moment from Rita as she sat at Tina's bedside, a throwaway line that might have been missed on more recent viewers. But for those of us with long memories it was a lovely touch and a poignant line of dialogue. When Tina died, Rita said quietly: "They all leave me in the end."
She wasn't referring to her fellas, of course. She was referring to the young women she's taken under her wing over the years - her surrogate daughters. I can think of three - can you think of any more?
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| Jenny Bradley |
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| Sharon Gaskell |
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| Tina McIntyre |
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| Sally Webster. |
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Wonder whatever happened to the 2foster children that Rita looked after back in the 70's? Didn't she live with a guy called Bates and. His son and daughter. Would be interesting if that was ever resurrected as a storyline.
ReplyDeleteTerry and Doreen Bates weren't her foster children but they were children of her common-law husband Harry though, as you say.
ReplyDeleteRita did have an official foster son named John Spencer in August and September 1981 with a return appearance in November when he ran away from home.
Leanne worked for Rita shortly after she first came to the Street as a stroppy teen and Rita kind of took her under her wing for awhile.
ReplyDeleteDidn't she also take in "Orchid", the young woman who tried to con Fred Elliot?
ReplyDeleteSally is the only one of Rita's surrogates that has stayed on the street. She still comes for Rita's advice, although in recent years Rita has tended to be associated with Tina. During Rita's wedding, it was Tina who was her bridesmaid, and while Sally was a guest, she didn't share a scene with Rita. 15 years ago, she might have done.
ReplyDeleteJenny Bradley returned to the street to try and get money from Rita so it wasn't Rita's fault that they left on bad terms.
Sharon Gaskell, under husband Ian's orders, did a nasty trick on Rita. Although it might be argued that Rita gave Sharon the Kabin to keep her close to her, it was quite a stab in the back for Sharon to immediately sell it. Although Sharon hoped to make amends by even hinting that Rita could be a 'grandmother' within the year, Rita couldn't forgive her and has since said that they're not on speaking terms.
It would be nice for Terry or Gail Bates to pay a visit to Rita, or even Len's son Stanley.