It was announced in May that EastEnders legend Barbara Windsor is suffering from Alzheimer’s.
Barbara’s husband, Scott, revealed that the Peggy Mitchell actress had been diagnosed with the disease four years previously.
Rita Simons, who played Barbara’s on-screen niece Roxy Mitchell in the soap, has given an update on how the 80-year-old star is getting on.
It sounds like Rita, 41, has kept in touch with her former co-star, and she has some positive news about Barbara’s condition.
She told the Mirror: “Just because she’s got this terrible disease doesn’t mean she’s locked up in her flat all the time.
“She still has a laugh – she just has to factor this in as part of her life. She’s been having some really good days.”
And the 41-year-old actress credited Barbara’s husband Scott for giving her a massive lift through her illness.
Read more: Dame Barbara Windsor to make TV return
“She’s got Scott, who is amazing,” Rita added. “That is commitment. Without Scott, Barbara would be lost. He’s the most wonderful husband to her.”
Last month, Rita revealed that she’s had health problems of her own.
She told The Daily Star: “I suffer with a million ‘isms’, including ADHD [attention deficit hyperactivity disorder].
“I also have really bad insomnia. The worst is when I can’t sleep at all and I’m up all night.
“Some nights I’m awake just staring at the wall. I don’t even watch TV or listen to music. It is awful. It is like torture. Sometimes it feels like I don’t sleep for days. It’s horrible.”
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As for Barbara, last month she made her first TV or radio appearance since news of her illness was announced.
The actress hosted the first of a new Radio 2 documentary series about comedy duos, entitled Double Acts.
Let’s hope we see her on our tellies or radios again soon.
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