It's been nearly five years since we lost iconic TV star Barbara Windsor, and her widower has now opened up about finding love with a fellow EastEnders star.
Windsor was tragically diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2014, with her husband Scott Mitchell helping to care for her in the six years before her passing in 2020, at the age of 83.
Renowned as a proper legend on British telly, Windsor was perhaps best known for playing Peggy Mitchell on the long-running soap, with the memorable line 'get out of my pub' still quoted regularly today.
Although eyebrows were raised when she first married Mitchell in 2000, given their 26-year age gap, they remained together for over 20 years, and Mitchell revealed in the interview that he still struggles to sleep in the years since her passing.
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In an exclusive interview with the Mirror, he said: “I’m very proud of the lady she was and the mark that she’s left.
"I always joke and say, ‘She won’t only be remembered for a bra flying off in Carry On Camping or telling people to get out of her pub’.
"There’s a new legacy for Barbara Windsor. And that is the world of dementia, helping people, and that’s very important.”
The 62-year-old, who also works as an actor, has confirmed that he has found love again with Tanya Franks, who plays Rainie Cross in EastEnders.
Franks lost her stepfather to Alzheimer's, and her friendship with Mitchell blossomed as they completed marathons together to raise money to fund Alzheimer's research, which eventually turned into something more.
Mitchell told This Morning last year: "I'm very fortunate to have a partner who doesn't make me feel bad about talking about my late wife or keeping this memory alive of working together because we're both as equally passionate about it."
He told the Mirror: “I’m incredibly happy. Me being unhappy and alone is not going to bring Barbara back.
"Life is very much for the living and we all get one shot at living. Of course, there’s always someone on the internet, who’s going to say, ‘Oh, it didn’t take him long.’
“Well, maybe they forget the fact that Barbara’s illness possibly started initially 10 years before she passed so you’re grieving while they’re alive. You lose them while they’re alive. I didn’t feel guilty because I knew I had Barbara’s blessing because of what she’d always said to me.
“Tanya is a wonderful lady. She’s very private. She’s not how Barbara was in that respect. Barbara was an open book.
"Barbara told you every detail about her life. Tanya has no interest in celebrity. She is a very good actress. At the moment, she’s appearing with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon in Much Ado About Nothing.
“I don’t compare the two ladies. They’re very different and I have love for both of them. I wouldn’t be with anyone who wasn’t truly lovely.”
Topics: Celebrity News
James Moorhouse