diff --git a/packages/block-editor/src/components/rich-text/index.js b/packages/block-editor/src/components/rich-text/index.js
index 62acbbd4bbbcfe..030df831886f55 100644
--- a/packages/block-editor/src/components/rich-text/index.js
+++ b/packages/block-editor/src/components/rich-text/index.js
@@ -19,12 +19,9 @@ import { useInstanceId, useMergeRefs } from '@wordpress/compose';
 import {
 	__unstableUseRichText as useRichText,
 	__unstableCreateElement,
-	isEmpty,
-	isCollapsed,
 	removeFormat,
 } from '@wordpress/rich-text';
 import deprecated from '@wordpress/deprecated';
-import { BACKSPACE, DELETE } from '@wordpress/keycodes';
 import { Popover } from '@wordpress/components';
 
 /**
@@ -39,6 +36,7 @@ import { useMarkPersistent } from './use-mark-persistent';
 import { usePasteHandler } from './use-paste-handler';
 import { useBeforeInputRules } from './use-before-input-rules';
 import { useInputRules } from './use-input-rules';
+import { useDelete } from './use-delete';
 import { useEnter } from './use-enter';
 import { useFormatTypes } from './use-format-types';
 import { useRemoveBrowserShortcuts } from './use-remove-browser-shortcuts';
@@ -316,45 +314,6 @@ function RichTextWrapper(
 	const keyboardShortcuts = useRef( new Set() );
 	const inputEvents = useRef( new Set() );
 
-	function onKeyDown( event ) {
-		const { keyCode } = event;
-
-		if ( event.defaultPrevented ) {
-			return;
-		}
-
-		if ( keyCode === DELETE || keyCode === BACKSPACE ) {
-			const { start, end, text } = value;
-			const isReverse = keyCode === BACKSPACE;
-			const hasActiveFormats =
-				value.activeFormats && !! value.activeFormats.length;
-
-			// Only process delete if the key press occurs at an uncollapsed edge.
-			if (
-				! isCollapsed( value ) ||
-				hasActiveFormats ||
-				( isReverse && start !== 0 ) ||
-				( ! isReverse && end !== text.length )
-			) {
-				return;
-			}
-
-			if ( onMerge ) {
-				onMerge( ! isReverse );
-			}
-
-			// Only handle remove on Backspace. This serves dual-purpose of being
-			// an intentional user interaction distinguishing between Backspace and
-			// Delete to remove the empty field, but also to avoid merge & remove
-			// causing destruction of two fields (merge, then removed merged).
-			if ( onRemove && isEmpty( value ) && isReverse ) {
-				onRemove( ! isReverse );
-			}
-
-			event.preventDefault();
-		}
-	}
-
 	function onFocus() {
 		anchorRef.current?.focus();
 	}
@@ -428,6 +387,11 @@ function RichTextWrapper(
 						preserveWhiteSpace,
 						pastePlainText,
 					} ),
+					useDelete( {
+						value,
+						onMerge,
+						onRemove,
+					} ),
 					useEnter( {
 						removeEditorOnlyFormats,
 						value,
@@ -449,7 +413,6 @@ function RichTextWrapper(
 					props.className,
 					'rich-text'
 				) }
-				onKeyDown={ onKeyDown }
 			/>
 		</>
 	);
diff --git a/packages/block-editor/src/components/rich-text/use-delete.js b/packages/block-editor/src/components/rich-text/use-delete.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..f09a15265bd2be
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/block-editor/src/components/rich-text/use-delete.js
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+/**
+ * WordPress dependencies
+ */
+import { useRef } from '@wordpress/element';
+import { useRefEffect } from '@wordpress/compose';
+import { DELETE, BACKSPACE } from '@wordpress/keycodes';
+import { isCollapsed, isEmpty } from '@wordpress/rich-text';
+
+export function useDelete( props ) {
+	const propsRef = useRef( props );
+	propsRef.current = props;
+	return useRefEffect( ( element ) => {
+		function onKeyDown( event ) {
+			const { keyCode } = event;
+
+			if ( event.defaultPrevented ) {
+				return;
+			}
+
+			const { value, onMerge, onRemove } = propsRef.current;
+
+			if ( keyCode === DELETE || keyCode === BACKSPACE ) {
+				const { start, end, text } = value;
+				const isReverse = keyCode === BACKSPACE;
+				const hasActiveFormats =
+					value.activeFormats && !! value.activeFormats.length;
+
+				// Only process delete if the key press occurs at an uncollapsed edge.
+				if (
+					! isCollapsed( value ) ||
+					hasActiveFormats ||
+					( isReverse && start !== 0 ) ||
+					( ! isReverse && end !== text.length )
+				) {
+					return;
+				}
+
+				if ( onMerge ) {
+					onMerge( ! isReverse );
+				}
+
+				// Only handle remove on Backspace. This serves dual-purpose of being
+				// an intentional user interaction distinguishing between Backspace and
+				// Delete to remove the empty field, but also to avoid merge & remove
+				// causing destruction of two fields (merge, then removed merged).
+				if ( onRemove && isEmpty( value ) && isReverse ) {
+					onRemove( ! isReverse );
+				}
+
+				event.preventDefault();
+			}
+		}
+
+		element.addEventListener( 'keydown', onKeyDown );
+		return () => {
+			element.removeEventListener( 'keydown', onKeyDown );
+		};
+	}, [] );
+}