Dame Barbara Windsor’s husband has revealed how she still watches her old soap, despite her advancing dementia, in a touching new interview.
Scott Mitchell says the star enjoys watching old Carry On films and EastEnders – but they can make her “quite emotional.”
Scott, 56, told The Mirror: “She still watches EastEnders every night. There’s still a picture of Peggy behind the bar and every time that comes into shot, I say, ‘Look, look, there’s my wife,’ and she always laughs and says, ‘That’s nice that they’ve still got that there,’ so it’s really good.”
Babs, 81, played Albert Square favourite Peggy Mitchell on the soap from 1994 until 2010, and then again between 2013 and 2016.
Last year, the TV star sadly revealed she has been suffering with Alzheimer’s for the past four years, and Scott says watching herself on screen isn’t always easy.
He adds: “The Carry Ons were on over Christmas. She does watch them and she can get quite emotional because she says that is a past version of her…
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“Those memories do trigger things off. They are quite clear. She knows there’s a strong association with EastEnders and Carry Ons and that’s quite nice.”
Scott – who married the TV icon in 2000 – recently admitted his wife’s condition is getting worse, saying: “I can’t leave Barbara by herself anymore, life has changed drastically for her and of course that reflects on our whole life together.
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“Don’t get me wrong, Barbara and I don’t just sit there in some state of continual misery, we have chats, we laugh, we watch the telly and we make each other giggle. There’s still life going on, but of course that’s interspersed with some of the difficult moments too.”
Scott is working with Dementia Revolution, a year-long campaign formed by dementia charities Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer’s Research UK. He and several EastEnders’ stars, including Jake Wood are trying to raise £100k in Barbara’s name, by running the London marathon this year.
Jake – who plays Max Branning – said he was “proud to” be helping his old friend.
The 46-year-old actor recently appeared on Good Morning Britain alongside Scott, where he told presenters Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid: “Barbara is much loved by all the cast at EastEnders. We wanted to do something to raise money and raise awareness of the condition.”
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