Grieving Samantha Womack attends dad's funeral

EastEnders star Samantha Womack has attended the funeral of her father Noel after he was found hanged in his Brighton flat last month. The grieving star - who plays Ronnie Mitchell in the soap - dressed in black and carried a white rose as she joined more than 100 mourners at Woodvale Crematorium in Brighton. Noel's friend Mark Berridge described the emotional hour-long ceremony saying, "I've never seen so many people crying. He'll be deeply missed." The service included a tribute from Samantha to her father, a former songwriter, while a song he wrote for her was also played. "She was in tears - she sais how much she loved him and he was the best dad ever," Berridge added. Samantha's actor husband Mark Womack said she was struggling to come to terms with the death of a "loved and wonderful father". He said in a statement that she wanted to be left alone to grieve in the aftermath of his death. Samantha was given time off from EastEnders following 60-year-old Noel's death - with scenes readjusted to lessen the impact on the show.