Barbara Windsor’s husband Scott Mitchell has emotionally revealed that the star may have to go into a care home soon amid her devastating Alzheimer’s battle.
The actor, 57, has admitted that it is the thing he’s ‘always feared’ and he can’t imagine ever letting the EastEnders star, 82, leave their marital home.
Scott, who is her primary carer, revealed that he was told the upsetting development by a specialist after Barbara’s Alzheimer’s battle ‘worryingly progressed’.
Emotional: Barbara Windsor’s husband Scott Mitchell has emotionally revealed that the star may have to go into a care home soon amid her devastating Alzheimer’s battle (pictured in 2017)
The Goodnight Sweetheart star added that he has encountered some ‘fairly dark moments’ since the meeting.
Scott is set to discuss Barbara’s heartbreaking Alzheimer’s battle with Ross Kemp, who used to play her on-screen son Grant Mitchell on EastEnders, in a new television interview. Barbara does not appear on the show.
The Sun reports that the actor tells Ross, 55: ‘It’s the thing I’ve always feared. He’s basically telling me I need to prepare myself that at some point it may not be sustainable to give her the kind of care she needs at the house.
‘I’ve had some fairly dark moments since he said that because there’s a part of me that knows that most likely is the truth and that’s what needs to happen. There’s another part of me which can’t imagine letting her go.
Heartbreaking: The actor, 57, (pictured in 2019) has admitted that it is the thing he’s ‘always feared’ and he can’t imagine ever letting the EastEnders star, 82, leave their marital home
‘I can’t imagine leaving that lady when she talks to me the way she does and putting her somewhere and her thinking, “Why has he done this to me?”‘
The actor is also said to talk about how Barbara’s speech is getting worse and that she has started to fall in the middle of the night, which has left the soap legend ‘frustrated’.
Scott will also reportedly discuss how he and Barbara have coped during the coronavirus lockdown.
The actor is said to admit that he had ‘every other symptom’ of COVID-19 minus the cough and his ‘biggest fear’ was passing it to Barbara.
Worrying: Scott, who is her primary carer, revealed that he was told the upsetting development by a specialist after Barbara’s Alzheimer’s battle ‘worryingly progressed’ (pictured in 2018)
In May, it was reported that Scott was struggling with coronavirus lockdown because Barbara can’t understand why nobody is visiting her.
The Carry On actress was diagnosed with the degenerative condition in 2014 and is now being cared for round-the-clock by her husband Scott Mitchell.
The actor married EastEnders star Barbara in 2000 and the star is accustomed to close friends and family constantly checking in on her.
Her close friend Christopher Biggins, 71, told The Sun: ‘She’s a little confused as to what’s going on because no one can visit her.
Close friend: Scott is set to discuss Barbara’s heartbreaking Alzheimer’s battle with Ross Kemp, who used to play her on-screen son Grant Mitchell on EastEnders, in a new television interview (Ross and Barbara pictured at the BAFTA TV Awards in 2009)
‘It’s not because she thinks ”they don’t like me” because her husband Scott explains to her but she just forgets the explanation and she asks all the time.’
Barbara, who is best known for her role as Peggy Mitchell in EastEnders and for starring in nine Carry On films, first revealed she was suffering from the disease, for which there is currently no cure, in May 2018, after being diagnosed in 2014.
Her husband Scott said her condition worsened at the beginning of the year, and that the legendary actress often gets confused as to where she is.
He told the Sunday Mirror: ‘Constantly, she does not realise where we are, even in the house. She will ask me, ‘When are we going home?’
Doting husband: The Sun reports that the actor will also talk about how Barbara’s speech is getting worse and that she has started to fall in the middle of the night, leaving the soap legend ‘frustrated’ (pictured in September 2019)
‘Sometimes she will ask me about people who have already passed away, as if they are still here. That is something she does regularly about her own parents. It is a very difficult one.’
Scott said the situation was ‘heartbreaking’, adding that she forgets short-term things like if she’s had dinner, but remembers things about her childhood and early career.
Dame Barbara has massively raised awareness of the condition by sharing her own diagnosis and appearing in a Dementia Revolution appeal video in 2018.
Barbara, who played EastEnder’s most famous landlady Peggy Mitchell for over 20 years, chose to keep her condition secret for four years before asking husband Scott to make the announcement in May 2018.
She now uses her fame to raise awareness and support for those affected by the disease.
In January, the bubbly blonde looked her glamorous self when she sent a special message thanking Good Morning Britain’s first ever 1 Million Minutes Awards.
The actress was on hand to award Danny Brown the inaugural Dame Barbara Windsor Award – an accolade for someone who has helped people with Alzheimer’s or Dementia combat loneliness.
Detailing her own experience with Alzheimer’s, she told Danny in the sweet message: ‘Volunteers like you are so important in the fight against loneliness, especially for those like us, who know all too well the struggles of a cruel illness.’
