He soon realises Sam is using him and turns her down. When Beppe also makes it clear that he is not interested in taking her back, a hurt Sam leaves Walford once again. She returns to Walford on Christmas Day, hoping to make amends. [12], When Medcalf regained the role in 2022, she was asked if Sam had changed since she last played her: She is a little bit harder, she has had to really toughen up and grow up. DANIELLA Westbrook has revealed she has been snubbed by EastEnders bosses as the soap recasts her iconic Sam Mitchell role. [7] Eighty girls auditioned for the part of Sam, but these eighty were eventually whittled down to four. Sam then discovers that the text was in relation to Zack and he opens up to her about his HIV diagnosis. '[63] She further faulted her story-'lining adding: 'Her storylines don't seem to be going anywhere and the whole return seems like it was concocted purely for headlines and not at all for story development. By the time Eric died when Sam was ten, she was subsequently on the receiving end of her two older brothers heavy-handed paternalism.[5]. Sam also finds out that Andy had beaten up Minty for trying to stop their wedding. [6] However, off-screen Westbrook was battling with various problems in her personal life (including a highly publicised drug addiction), and in 1993 she left the soap, although she maintains that her addiction did not affect her work at this time.[14]. "[9], Describing the character in 2002, actress Kim Medcalf said, "She wears her heart on her sleeve. Samantha 'Sam' Margaret Priscilla Mitchell (previously Butcher and Hunter) is the only daughter of Eric and Peggy Mitchell, younger sister of Phil and Grant Mitchell, mother of Ricky Mitchell and ex-wife of Ricky Butcher and Andy Hunter. Sam, Jack and Denise pay a visit to the Slaters and berate Lilys mother Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) and her stepfather Martin Fowler (James Bye) for their refusal to have Lilys pregnancy terminated. In 1995, following a spell in a drug rehab clinic, which first alerted the public to her drug problem, Westbrook was reintroduced into EastEnders by executive producer Corinne Hollingworth. Sam later receives a text from the Sexual Health Clinic, informing her that a previous partner has tested positive for an STI. One bat of a sooty eyelash is enough to charm most men into submission and she can wind doting mum Peggy round her little finger [] [when] she returned to the Square [in 1999], Sam had lost her kittenish cuteness and hardened up, becoming more EastEnd moll than Barbie doll. He is popular for being a Basketball Player. Fifteen-year-old Sam follows her brothers to Walford, unhappy at home because she dislikes their mother's boyfriend, Kevin Masters (Colin McCormack). '[62], Ruth Deller, of entertainment website lowculture.co.uk, criticised Sam's return in 2009, branding it as unsuccessful and also stating: 'Danniella Westbrook is doing her best, but the scriptwriters don't seem to know who Sam is any more. [55], In December 2022, following the return of Sid Owen as Sam's first love and ex husband Ricky Butcher it was announced that Sam and Ricky's romance would be revisited. Ricky and Jack pester Sam to get a paternity test, and she lies about the results, claiming Ricky is the father; however, Bianca discovers the truth and Sam confesses that she had lied because Ronnie asked her to. Sam then abandons Ricky when she receives a text from Phil, inviting her to join him and the rest of the family in Peggys bar to welcome in the New Year, and to make amends. He currently resides in Columbus. Peggy admits defeat and attends their more formal blessing in Walford a month later. [11], Sam's return to Walford saw her reignite an affair with her former, now married lover Steve Owen (Martin Kemp), who was embroiled in a feud with her brother Phil. Height and Weight He has an estimated height of 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) , and a weight of 210 lb (95 kg) Sam Mitchell Education Mitchell being raised in Columbus, he began his elementary schooling in the same place then he joined High school graduated from Columbus High School. According to Blevins, Brinkley charged .10 cents for an individual showing and .25 cents for a group. Seven months later, Peggy visits Sam in prison and discovers she is heavily pregnant. I was no longer interested in acting and that had become blatantly obvious to everyone on set. The soap was now being shown four times a week and it was impossible to balance the workload with my addiction [] Not only had [cocaine] destroyed my nose, but it was about to destroy my career again as well [] The producers were tiring of my behaviour [] When I did leave the production at the end of 1999 it was in fact a fairly mutual decision. Just as Shirley plans to go to Phils house to expose Sam, Jonah shows up and also demands money from Sam. Sam continues to disturb Sharon and Kat with threats under the disguise of Jonah, and she plans to manipulate Kat into signing control of Peggy's to Jonah, though Kat is unaware that she will be signing it over to Sam instead. Ronnie does not want Sam or Richard near Jack and manipulates her into leaving Walford and offers Sam money to do so. The next day she apologises to Ricky and agrees to move to Germany with him. [8] Westbrook was given the part. Sam later discovers that Jonah is planning on buying Ruby Allen's (Louisa Lytton) nightclub, and she convinces Phil that they should buy the club and run it together. [8] According to Westbrook, she liked Owen right from the start and was amused by his response of "You're a bit of alright. At the time, Westbrook's local paper ran a story on her with the punchline, "who knows, one day she might be the show's star". In both her 1996 and 2000 exits, Sam was written out earlier than the producers intended due to off-screen controversies surrounding Westbrook. Before Fame Samantha "Sam" Mitchell (also Butcher and Hunter) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. As she became older, Sam often rebelled against Peggy and favoured Eric over her. She picks Phil up and they drive to an abandoned warehouse. The third member of the Mitchell family to appear on the soap, Sam was introduced as a 15-year-old schoolgirl in July 1990, originally played by Danniella Westbrook. On the opening of Peggy's, Sam, Kat, Sharon and Nancys grandmother Shirley Carter (Linda Henry) are held hostage by robbers who attempt to rob the bar, under the presumption that they have been hired by Jonah. After one year as one of Memphis' assistant coaches, Sam Mitchell is no longer with the program. Lewis then lures them into the warehouse and manages to steal Phil's gun and holds both Phil and Sam at gunpoint in the warehouse, until Phil attacks him, grabs the gun and almost shoots him, until he is stopped by Ben. [11], When Westbrook regained the role in 2009, she compared the differences between how she plays the character and how Medcalf played the character: "When Kim was playing Sam she was quite hard, but [the Sam who returns in 2009] is more the Sam I've always played. Unhappy in the CBA, Mitchell quit the team midway through the season to return home to Georgia, where a former professor hired him a Special Education teacher for the remainder of the school year. In early 2002, the character was introduced for a fourth time, but the role was recast to another actress, Kim Medcalf, who stayed in the role until late 2005. He later confides in Sam about becoming a father and asks her to remain in Walford and not move away with Ricky Butcher. . She accidentally walks in on Amy self-harming and Amy agrees to invite her if she promises not to tell her father, Jack, although she later does, resulting in Amy resenting Sam. [8], Westbrook has said that the cast and crew became like a second family to her, with the roles in the soap mirroring their relationships off-screen. On 27 February 2016, it was confirmed that Westbrook would reprise the role for a few episodes. Phil sees Jonah confronting Sam and attacks him. The producers were aware of my addiction by now [] but they had also read that I was now clean [] once I assured them that I was well [] they invited me back for another year. The cancer in her colon had already metastasized Anita Mitchell is a busy mother to three children. Sam overhears their plan and in a rage turns herself in, implicating Peggy for Archie's murder as revenge. Just as they proceed to untie Lewis, an argument between Phil and Sam results in Phil unknowingly leaving the boot open, enabling Lewis to secretly escape. On-screen, Sam's marriage to Ricky ended following an affair with a yuppie named Clive (Sean Gallagher), and she took a job on a cruise ship. Their marriage somewhat improved and Eric became extremely overprotective of Sam and treated her like a princess. She loves guys with a dangerous edge [] She's had a tough upbringing. According to Westbrook, actors Mike Reid and Barbara Windsor who both appeared as Frank and Peggy Butcher were keen to have her back on the cast too. The character departed for Spain on 26 March 1996 after falling for a Spanish tourist. The former 13-year NBA player was. She's a little naive. Sam is later released from custody but still faces a charge of perverting the course of justice and a prison sentence of up to four years. Following Steve's untimely death, Phil then humiliates Sam by revealing the affair in front of Steve's widow Mel and Phil's ex-girlfriend Lisa Shaw (Lucy Benjamin). She made her first appearance on 19 July 1990 . I did sit down to watch a five-minute clip of Danniella but I quickly realised I didn't want to carry on watching because I was afraid of falling into doing an imitation of her, d'ye know what I mean? As she struggles to move on from Andy and their turbulent marriage, Sam learns that Chrissie is attempting to sell the pub and leave Walford. Samantha "Sam" Mitchell (also Butcher and Hunter) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. Mitchell had enlisted in the Army during his junior year, and at the conclusion of the 1985 NCAA tournament he went to boot camp at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The week's worth of episodes focusing on their marriage were filmed on-location and have been described by former EastEnders scriptwriter, Colin Brake, as a "farce-like chase round the country". Sam does not know if Ricky or Jack is the father and she refuses to reconcile with Peggy; however, when she is hospitalised and goes into labour, she reconsiders, requesting Peggy's help. Forward for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Indiana Pacers from 1989 to 2002. [1] In the storyline, Den Watts had been responsible for Sam losing the pub, and so Sam teamed up with Den's scorned wife, Chrissie Watts, and Zoe Slater, who had also been scorned by Den. PERTH, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 02: Lyndall Mitchell, wife of Sam Mitchell smiles during Sam's retirement speech to the media during a West Coast Eagles at Domain Stadium on August 2, 2017 in Perth, Australia. And turns her down they drive to an abandoned warehouse father and asks her to in. 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