Dame Barbara Windsor diagnosed with Alzheimer's, husband says

EastEnders star has been taking medication to help manage the condition, Scott Mitchell says

Dame Barbara Windsor has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, her husband has said.

Scott Mitchell told The Sun that the 80-year-old Eastenders and Carry On star had been diagnosed four years ago and had been given medication to help manage the condition.

But he said that her memory loss and confusion had grown worse in recent weeks.

“I want the public to know because they are naturally very drawn to Barb­ara and she loves talking to them,” he said. “Rather than me living in fear she might get confused or upset, they’ll know that if her behaviour seems strange, it’s due to Alzhei­mer’s and accept it for what it is.”

The 55-year-old said he had decided to speak out because he "did not want someone else to dictate how or when the diagnosis came out".

He added: “I don’t want it to come across that she’s sitting there unable to communicate, because she’s not. We’re still going out for walks or dinner with friends and we still laugh together a lot."

A small circle of friends who had begun to notice her occasional confusion were told shortly after the diagnosis, he said. But he stopped the news from going public after his wife struggled to come to terms with it.

Mr Mitchell himself had started to notice the symptoms of the condition in 2009, just before she left Eastenders for the first time, when she began finding it difficult to learn her lines, he said.

She underwent a series of mental agility tests, a brain scan and a lumbar puncture, before they were given the diagnosis. By 2016, her forgetfulness and confusion were getting worse, and it was agreed she would leave EastEnders for the final time, Mr Mitchell said.

She has now retired from charity work as well as acting, he added.

Tim Parry, Director at Alzheimer’s Research UK said he was "saddened" to hear the news, but congratulated Mr Mitchell for "speaking out to encourage other affected individuals and families to do the same when it’s right for them. It’s important to bring the disease out into the open as a crucial step towards us tackling it."

He added: "Alzheimer’s is a physical disease, in the same way that cancer or heart disease are, and there shouldn’t be stigma in being open about it."

One of the most recognisable faces on British television, Dame Barbara made her stage debut aged 13, when she appeared in pantomime and just a year later she played a part in the West End in the musical Love From Judy.

Aside from her role in EastEnders, Dame Barbara is perhaps best known for appearing in several Carry On... films.

Playing the role of the "good time girl", she first appeared in 1964's Carry On Spying, but one of her best remembered scenes, from 1969's Carry On Camping, saw her bikini top fly off during outdoor aerobic exercises. Her final role was in Carry On Dick in 1974.

She also starred in the 1968 classic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

But she is best known as Peggy Mitchell, the battleaxe landlady of the Queen Victoria and mother of hardmen Phil and Grant in EastEnders, where she was often heard telling drinkers who had crossed her to "get outta my pub!".

Barbara Windsor as Eastenders character Peggy Mitchell (BBC)

In 2009, her career was recognised with the Lifetime Achievement Award at The British Soap Awards.

After 16 years of playing the role, Dame Barbara left Albert Square in 2010, though made further occasional appearances before her character was killed off in 2016.

She was awarded an MBE in the Millennium New Year honours and has also been given The Freedom of the City of London.