Barbara Windsor forgets she's married due to Alzheimer's, husband reveals

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Barbara Windsor’s husband has revealed the EastEnders star is struggling to remember they are married now that her Alzheimer’s disease has taken hold.

Scott Mitchell, who has been married to the actress for 18 years, said in an emotional interview with the Sun that she “suddenly has no recollection of our history”.

He told the Sun newspaper: “She’ll look at her wedding ring and say, ‘Are we married?’ But that’s the thing about this cruel disease, isn’t it?”

Dame Barbara Windsor with her husband Scott Mitchell
PA

The star, famous for her roles in nine Carry On films and for playing pub landlord Peggy Mitchell in EastEnders, was given the heartbreaking diagnosis on April 22, 2014.

After shedding some tears, her first words were: "I'm so sorry", Mr Mitchell added.

Barbara Windsor - In pictures

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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.

He stressed that revealing the news any earlier would have been detrimental to her health.

Mr Mitchell told the paper he first noticed symptoms of the condition in 2009, just before Dame Barbara left EastEnders for the first time, when she began finding it difficult to learn her lines.

She underwent a series of mental agility tests, a brain scan and a lumbar puncture, before the couple's worst fears were confirmed.

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.

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