Carry On legend Dame Barbara Windsor dies aged 83 after long battle with Alzheimer’s disease
Dame Barbara Windsor dies aged 83: Actress who became national treasure with roles in Carry On films and EastEnders loses her battle with Alzheimer’s disease
- Barbara Windsor first found fame as a buxom blonde in the Carry On films and later joined Eastenders
- Became a household name playing Peggy Mitchell, the Queen Vic’s battle-axe landlady in the BBC soap
- Dame Barbara was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2014 and made the news public in 2018
- Died at 8.35pm on Thursday at a London care home and her final weeks were ‘typical of how she lived her life’
Beloved British actress Dame Barbara Windsor has died aged 83 after losing her battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
The actress who became a national treasure for her iconic roles in BBC soap EastEnders and the Carry On films died at 8.35pm on Thursday at a London care home, her husband Scott Mitchell revealed.
The devoted husband confirmed that she died ‘peacefully’ following a six-year battle with Alzheimer’s as he paid touching tribute to his ‘best friend and soul mate’.
He said the cherished actress’s final weeks were ‘typical of how she lived her life’ and ‘full of humour, drama and a fighting spirit until the end’.
Dame Barbara was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2014 and made the news public in 2018.
One of Britain’s most beloved entertainment stars, she first found fame in her role as a buxom blonde in the Carry On films and later became a household name playing Peggy Mitchell, the Queen Vic’s battle-axe landlady in BBC soap EastEnders.
Dame Barbara Windsor, best known for her roles in EastEnders and the Carry On films, has died aged 83, her husband Scott Mitchell (pictured together) said
One of Britain’s most beloved entertainment stars, Dame Barbara Windsor (left) first found fame in her role as a buxom blonde in the Carry On films and later became a household name playing Peggy Mitchell (right), the Queen Vic’s battle-axe landlady in BBC soap EastEnders
She died at 8.35pm on Thursday at a London care home, her husband Scott Mitchell (pictured together) said
One of Dame Barbara’s most famous scenes was in 1969’s Carry On Camping, when her bikini top flew off in the middle of an exercise class (left). Right: Dame Barbara in Aladdin aged 20
The Queen visited Elstree Studios – where EastEnders is filmed – in 2001. There she met Dame Windsor who played Peggy Mitchell
Dame Barbara as Peggy Mitchell in EastEnders – along with her on-screen sons Grant Mitchell (played by Ross Kemp) and Phil Mitchell (played by Steve McFadden)
Mr Mitchell said: ‘Her passing was from Alzheimer’s/dementia and Barbara eventually died peacefully and I spent the last seven days by her side.
‘Myself, her family and friends will remember Barbara with love, a smile and affection for the many years of her love, fun, friendship and brightness she brought to all our lives and the entertainment she gave to so many thousands of others during her career.
‘Barbara’s final weeks were typical of how she lived her life. Full of humour, drama and a fighting spirit until the end.
‘It was not the ending that Barbara or anyone else living with this very cruel disease deserve. 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, who alongside his wife campaigned for greater dementia care from the Government, added: ‘Dementia/Alzheimer’s remains the UKs number one killer. Although in challenging times, I urge the Prime Minister, his government and other parties to be true to their previous promises and invest more into dementia/Alzheimer’s research and care.
‘Thank you to all the doctors, nurses and carers who are angels at the care home for your kindness and care to Barbara and I throughout her stay with you. You are my heroes.
‘And my gratitude to our family, friends and everyone in the media and the general public for all the good wishes and warm support that has been shown to Barbara over the last few years during her illness. Barbara deeply appreciated that.’
At the end of his moving tribute, Mr Mitchell said: ‘May you rest in peace now my precious Bar. I’ve lost my wife, my best friend and soul mate and my heart or life will never feel the same without you.
Both Dame Barbara and her husband campaigned to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s following her diagnosis. In 2019, she delivered a letter to Boris Johnson (pictured meeting the PM) pleading for better dementia provisions for sufferers
The TV icon – who became a Dame in 2016 (pictured) – appeared in her first film at the age of 17 in The Belles Of St Trinian’s (1954)
Outside of the showbiz world she was made a Dame (pictured) in the Years Honours List in 2016 for her services to charity and entertainment
The Dame (pictured in Carry On Abroad) was also a self-proclaimed ‘Tory and fervent nationalist’ and once declared that anyone who didn’t wear a poppy for Remembrance Day should ‘sod off’
The actress kept the tragic news of her battle with Alzheimer’s disease secret for many years, first being told about it in 2014. Pictured: Dame Barbara with her husband Mr Mitchell outside 10 Downing Street where she met the PM last year to discuss dementia care
‘I will be making no further statements and now need the time to grieve this painful, personal loss.’
The mother of hardmen Phil and Grant, Dame Barbara played the landlady of the Queen Victoria and was often heard telling drinkers who had crossed her to ‘get outta my pub!’
But before she had set foot in Albert Square, Dame Barbara had enjoyed a glittering career in showbusiness and was also well known for her portrayal of the ‘good time girl’ in the Carry On series between 1964 and 1974.
Her career only went up from there and she appeared in hit TV series such as Dad’s Army, Worzel Gummidge and One Foot In The Grave.
Dame Barbara was born Barbara Anne Deeks in Shoreditch, in 1937 to a fruit and veg cart seller and a dressmaker.
Dame Barbara (pictured with Mr Mitchell in 2019) in was born Barbara Anne Deeks in Shoreditch, in 1937 to a fruit and veg cart seller and a dressmaker
The actress in ‘Carry on Dick’ in 1974. Outside of the showbiz world she was a fervent campaigner for the NHS and for many years was the face of the annual British legion appeal and an ambassador for Age UK
As a child she was bright and sat her 11-plus exam a year early. All her life it has been her proud boast that she got the ‘highest mark in North London’.
The talented adolescent trained at the Aida Foster School in Golders Green before making her stage debut in a pantomine at the age of 13.
In 1953, inspired by the Queen’s Coronation, she adopted the stage-name Windsor.
Just a year later she made her West End debut in the musical Love From Judy and from there she didn’t look back, enjoying a glittering career on stage and on screen.
The TV icon – who became a Dame in 2016 – appeared in her first film at the age of 17 in The Belles Of St Trinian’s (1954).
Dame Barbara started appearing on TV in variety shows, singing numbers with salacious titles such as My Hair, My Teeth, My Bosom, beside comedians Ken Dodd and Benny Hill.
She later received a BAFTA Award nomination for Sparrows Can’t Sing (1963), and a Tony award nomination for the Broadway production of Oh, What A Lovely War! (1964).
The EastEnders star with David Walliams and his mother. In 2016, Barbara won the Outstanding Contribution Award at the TV Choice Awards, and Best Exit at the Inside Soap Awards, for her portrayal of Peggy’s death.
Dame Barbara (pictured left) attends a Service of Thanksgiving for the Life and Work of comedian Ronnie Corbett at Westminster Abbey on June 7, 2017 in London. Right: She appears in Carry on Girls in 1973
Barbara (pictured as a child) was born in Shoreditch to a fruit and veg cart seller and a dressmaker
Right: Dame Barbara as Daphne Honeybutt in Carry On Spying in 1964. Left: The actress posing for a risque New Year shoot in 1969
And she quickly became known for her comedic talents when she starred as the ‘good time girl’ in the Carry On series between 1964 and 1974.
Before becoming synonymous with Albert Square, Dame Barbara delighted Carry On fans with her portrayals of a ‘good time girl,’ appearing in nine films in a series known for its bawdy humour.
She first appeared in Carry On Spying in 1964, with her final film role coming in 1974’s Carry On Dick.
One of Dame Barbara’s most famous scenes was in 1969’s Carry On Camping, when her bikini top flew off in the middle of an exercise class.
She was cast in EastEnders as Peggy Mitchell in 1994, for which she received the Best Actress Soap Award at the 1999 BSAs and a Lifetime Achievement at the 2009 BSAs.
She left for two years between 2003 and 2005, announced she would quit in 2009, but then returned for one of episodes in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
The workload was frenetic, but she was the soap’s biggest name for the next 15 years — running Albert Square’s Queen Vic until Phil burned it down in 2010.
Dame Barbara played Peggy Mitchell (pictured) on BBC soap EastEnders from 1994 until she left for good in 2016
Barbara’s husband Scott Mitchell revealed how his wife began to cry in the neurologist’s office when they were given the bad news in April 2014
Barbara Windsor poses and smiles for the camera with Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly at the Bafta Awards in London in 2000
Her last appearance aired on May 17 2016 when Peggy took her own life after being diagnosed with terminal cancer.
In 2016, she won the Outstanding Contribution Award at the TV Choice Awards, and Best Exit at the Inside Soap Awards, for her portrayal of Peggy’s death.
Dame Barbara first married Ronnie Knight, an associate of the Kray Twins, in 1964.
While married to Knight she had a well-publicised affair with Sid James who first met her in 1964 at the London Palladium.
She was devastated when James suffered a heart attack in 1976 while on stage and would later divorce Knight in 1985.
Dame Barbara then married restaurateur Stephen Hollings in Jamaica in 1986- the couple divorced in 1995. She then met aspiring actor Scott Mitchell and they married in 2000.
Dame Barbara, was also known for her annual tradition of performing in pantomines with intoxicating combination of verve, energy and wit wowing audiences all over the country.
Outside of the showbiz world she was made a Dame in the Years Honours List in 2016 for her services to charity and entertainment.
She was a fervent campaigner for the NHS and for many years was the face of the annual British legion appeal and an ambassador for Age UK.
The Dame was also a self-proclaimed ‘Tory and fervent nationalist’ and once declared that anyone who didn’t wear a poppy for Remembrance Day should ‘sod off’.
The actress kept the tragic news of her battle with Alzheimer’s disease secret for many years, first being told about it in 2014.
She said in December 2017 that she did not like to perform anymore, saying how she wanted audiences to remember her for her roles in the Carry On films.
Her husband Scott Mitchell, finally revealed she had been battling the illness for years in May 2018.
Both Dame Barbara and her husband campaigned to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s following her diagnosis.
In 2019, she delivered a letter to Boris Johnson pleading for better dementia provisions for sufferers.
In August this year Mitchell said his wife had been moved to a care home in London.
