Barbara Windsor's widower says she'd be 'so happy' he's found love again
Dame Barbara Windsor's widower Scott Mitchell has opened up on his new romance, three years on from her death as he shared she "would be happy" for him.
Scott told Lorraine Kelly on Thursday how much late actress and national treasure Barbara had wanted him to find love again if she was to pass away before him. Barbara died in 2020 after battling Alzheimer's disease. The EastEnders actress, who played icon Peggy Mitchell, was first diagnosed in 2014 before her condition was made public in 2018.
Scott cared for his wife before sadly she moved into a care home months before her death, due to her condition worsening. Three years on from her death, Scott spoke of her passing on Lorraine and his continued efforts to campaign about the disease. On the show, Scott spoke about his new relationship with Barbara's former EastEnders co-star Tanya Franks.
Dame Barbara Windsor's widower Scott Mitchell has opened up on his new romanceTanya had been friends with Scott prior to their romance, and she too campaigned about the disease both because of Barbara and because her own family had been impacted by Alzheimer's. Through their experiences and Tanya's support of Scott the pair found love again, with Scott able to move on after his wife's death - while he said he would never forget his life with Barbara, continuing to keep her memory alive while also keeping up his campaigning.
Speaking to Lorraine, Scott talked about Barbara's hopes for him to not be miserable or lonely after her death, saying she would have been happy for him and Tanya as he revealed how the relationship was going. As Lorraine talked of Barbara giving him permission to move on, he said: "She was a generous lady, a generous spirit. She always used to say, 'I'll go first, be upset, be heartbroken but once you're through that please live your best life'."
EastEnders' Jake Wood's snap of son has fans pointing out the pair's likeness
Scott spoke about his new relationship with Barbara's former EastEnders co-star Tanya Franks (ITV)He added of Tanya: "I'm very, very lucky. It started as a nice friendship and developed into something more. We are very happy, she is off on tour… it's really lovely. She’s incredibly supportive of the work I do for the campaigning, so there is no fear there or worry of oh, it's about my late wife, because she has had her own personal family experience with this illness.
"She knows what it's all about so thank goodness, life feels really good. Me feeling miserable now or being alone isn’t gonna bring [Barbara] back, and she wouldn’t want that. I know that the one person who would be happy for me is Barbara Windsor." Scott was also discussing a new campaign film that launched on World Alzheimer’s Day, which shows the effects of dementia and Alzheimer’s with the aim of raising awareness of the condition and its symptoms. He shared the film left him "numb" as it brought back memories of his late wife's battle with the disease, recalling the constant look of "terror" on her face.
Lorraine airs weekdays at 9am on ITV1 and ITVX.* Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on , , , , and .
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
