Barbara Windsor's widower Scott Mitchell finds love with EastEnders star

13 July 2023 , 22:50

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Barbara Windsor's widower Scott Mitchell finds love with EastEnders star

Barbara Windsor's husband Scott Mitchell has found love again, three years on from her death.

The widower, 60, is said to have fallen for fellow EastEnders star Tanya Franks, 55, who played Rainie Cross in the soap. According to a source, Scott is believed to be "truly happy" despite fearing he might "never find another."

The actor's happiness comes after the death of his wife Dame Barbara in December 2020. Dame Barbara was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2014 and Scott revealed the news publicly four years later.

He said he first noticed symptoms of Alzheimer's in 2009 when Dame Barbara began finding it difficult to learn her lines. Scott went official with Tanya whilst on holiday in Greece this month, as their families and friends are said to be happy for them both.

Scott and Tanya are 'happy' with each other (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Scott's wife Barbara died in 2020 (Getty Images Europe)

Speaking of finding love again, Scott told The Sun: "Life feels really good right now," before adding: "Life feels really good right now and we are enjoying some special time together."

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A source also told the newspaper: “His and Barbara’s friends are delighted he’s found someone to share his life with. It’s fairly early days but Scott is cautiously now looking forward to the future. They made the decision to update their wider circles while on holiday in Greece and everyone was over the moon."

The source added that the new couple are "taking things slowly" but there's "so much friendship and respect".

Tanya has appeared in EastEnders, playing Tanya Branning’s sister Rainie Cross in the BBC soap from 2007 and 2018, when she signed up full-time. However, she left the soap in August 2022.

The actress has also had roles in Pulling, Mum and Broadchurch. Scott and Tanya bonded while training for the London Marathon, which he ran in 2019, 2021 and 2023 alongside a team of EastEnders stars in support of Alzheimer's Research UK.

As leader of Babs’ Army, Scott ran three marathons in memory of his late wife. This year he was joined by Jake Wood, Lacey Turner, Tanya, Heather Peace, Natalie Cassidy and Adam Woodyatt.

Ahead of the 2023 marathon, Scott appeared on Good Morning Britain where host Susanna Reid remarked: "Barbara had a remarkable name for you, Scott, when she saw you training to be a runner."

The couple were together 27 years (Getty Images)

Tanya played Rainie Cross in EastEnders (BBC / Kieron McCarron)

"Yes, she did. She was sitting on the settee and she looked at me and I was just stretching before I went out. She said, 'What are you doing?' and I said, 'Barbara, I'm training for the London Marathon.'

"She said, 'You? Your legs are too little to run' and I keep hearing her voice when I get too tired, I keep hearing her voice [saying those words]."

Since the EastEnders icon's death in December 2020 to Alzheimer’s disease, Babs' Army has helped raise more than £4million. Last year, Scott made an appearance on Good Morning Britain where he shared his grief.

He said: “I talk about her and remember her with such joy. Two years is not a long time out of 27 years. I’m still in the early stages of grief and processing everything, but what I’m really trying to do is think of the really good times.

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“Especially the early times when we first met. That’s been a really good thing for me, to go back. I lost my best friend. My other half. I think that's why I still feel that sense now of being in the house and feeling sometimes that she is there with me. Other times feeling the loneliness of her not being there anymore."

As he released his book By Your Side: My Life Loving Barbara Windsor in 2022, Scott told David Walliams he would "never love again".

Scott said: "I was blessed to have crossed paths with Barbara. On paper, it shouldn’t have worked, but it did with us and I am so thankful that she chose me to share her life with because I don’t think I will ever find another."

The late actress and Scott tied the knot in April 2000 but due to their age gap, they were often subjected to unwanted commentary regarding their relationship, despite the pair enjoying a loving, almost three-decades-long romance until the soap icon's death at the age of 83.

Mia O'Hare