Dame Barbara Windsor: Beloved actress best known for her roles in EastEnders and the Carry On films dies aged 83
Written by News on 11/12/2020
Dame Barbara Windsor – best known for her roles as Peggy Mitchell in EastEnders and in the Carry On films – has died aged 83.
She passed away peacefully at 8.35pm on Thursday at a London care home with her husband Scott Mitchell by her side.
In a moving tribute, Mr Mitchell called her his “precious Bar” and said: “I’ve lost my wife, my best friend and soulmate and my heart or life will never feel the same without you.”
He said she had died from Alzheimer’s after he had spent the past seven days by her side.
“It was not the ending that Barbara or anyone else living with this very cruel disease deserve,” he said.
“I will always be immensely proud of Barbara’s courage, dignity and generosity dealing with her own illness and still trying to help others by raising awareness for as long as she could.”
Mr Mitchell said her final weeks were “typical of how she lived her life”, being “full of humour, drama and a fighting spirit until the end”.
The beloved soap and film star was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2014, going public with the news four years later.
Dame Barbara’s on-screen children were among the first to pay tribute.
Steve McFadden, who plays Phil Mitchell in EastEnders, is said to be “devastated” by her death, according to a representative.
Danniella Westbrook, who plays her on-screen daughter Sam Mitchell, tweeted: “MY HEART IS BROKEN .Bar you will always be in my heart forever. Good bye , I LOVE YOU XXX RIP Barbara WINDSOR.”
Patsy Palmer, known for playing Bianca Jackson in the soap, shared photos of the pair together on her Instagram.
“I’m sitting here thinking of the 100’s of memories we shared,” she said. “Too many to comprehend. We were like family for a long time , ups downs , ins and outs but you will never meet a more professional actress than Babs.”
She added: “I can hear that laugh now as I sit and think about her . I hope it’ll ring in my ears forever .”
Presenter Jonathan Ross wrote on Twitter: “Barbara Windsor in real life was everything you might have hoped for. So warm, so funny, so kind. Goodnight sweetheart x.”
Known as The Queen Vic’s feisty landlord, Windsor’s character Peggy became an EastEnders stalwart and was famous for yelling “get outta my pub!” at rogue drinkers.
She made her debut on the soap in 1994 and quit in 2009, saying she wanted to spend more time with her husband.
Although her stint on the soap was the defining role of her career, Windsor first found fame in the Carry On films.
One of her most famous scenes was in 1969’s Carry on Camping, when her bikini top flew off in the middle of an exercise class.
In her later years, Windsor campaigned to raise awareness of dementia and said she was “thrilled” by the public response.
She delivered a letter signed by 100,000 people to Boris Johnson demanding better care for dementia sufferers, cheekily asking the prime minister at the end of their chat: “Can I have a kiss?”
The actress was widely credited with having lifted the stigma around the condition.
But earlier this year, her husband revealed she was suffering more with the disease and often did not recognise him.
She was moved into a care home in July.
(c) Sky News 2020: Dame Barbara Windsor: Beloved actress best known for her roles in EastEnders and the Carry On films dies aged 83
