Rita Brannigan was the girlfriend of Paddy Kirk. Rita and Paddy met on a night out in July 2005, but it was only until Rita met Emily, she realised Paddy was married. Rita left after apologising to Emily.
Paddy and Rita met again in March 2007 when Paddy went to a model making class and found Rita as the naked model. Rita asked a now single Paddy out for a drink, which he accepted. Rita gave Paddy her number, but it got smudged and Rita furiously confronted Paddy. Paddy told her what happened and the pair planned their next date. However, Paddy ended up blowing off an increasingly annoyed Rita. Paddy invited Rita to a party at Home Farm, and Rita arrived looking stunning. As she and Paddy headed to the car, Paddy's friend Marlon Dingle nearly knocked Rita down, who was saved in the nick of time by Paddy. Paddy became confused as to why Rita was making such a big fuss, but it all became apparent when Rita's parents revealed that Rita's sister Sally Brannigan was killed by a hit-and-run driver in August 2006. Paddy's anger at Rita making too much of a fuss pushed her away and any attempts of a reconciliation only proved futile. However, Paddy did manage to win her back.
For Paddy's birthday in July 2007, Rita organised a surprise party. Paddy was unappreciative of the effort Rita made and Rita left, hurt at his reaction. Their relationship ended a few days later when Paddy hads a major business problem which he blamed Rita for, ultimately deciding they needed a break from each other until it was all sorted.