Dame Barbara Windsor’s husband Scott Mitchell has revealed he feared spreading coronavirus to the vulnerable thespian amid her Alzheimer’s battle.
During ITV’s Living with Dementia with the EastEnders star’s former on-screen son Ross Kemp on Wednesday, the actor, 57, said he experienced ‘every other symptom’ minus a persistent cough at the start of the lockdown as he detailed her deteriorating health issue.
Viewers were left in ‘floods of tears’ as they praised the 82-year-old’s ‘lovely’ partner of over two decades for aiding her through her dementia as she prepares to move to a care home.
‘It was my biggest fear’: Dame Barbara Windsor’s husband Scott Mitchell has revealed he feared spreading coronavirus to the thespian amid her Alzheimer’s battle (pictured in 2017)
The former recruitment consultant told Barbara’s ex co-star: ‘So I don’t know what it was, but I had every other symptom.
‘My biggest fear was that I was going to give it to Barbara.’
‘When COVID-19 started, the other health issues like cancer didn’t send us a note to say they’re giving us a break.’
Scott also revealed he has witnessed the Carry On icon struggling to speak, and becomes disheartened when he sees her ‘give up’.
Worried: During Ross Kemp’s ITV Special Living with Dementia aired on Wednesday, the actor, 57, said he experienced ‘every other symptom’ minus a cough at the start of the lockdown
History: Actor-turned-presenter Ross played her on-screen son Grant in EastEnders (pictured in 1999) from 1990 until 1999, before reprising his role between 2005 and 2006, and 2016
Long-time pal: The media personality, 55, has been friends with the couple for over 25 years (pictured in 2009)
Asked by actor-turned-investigative journalist Ross, 55, how Barbara’s Alzheimer’s has progressed since he last visited in February, his heartbroken friend said: ‘I have seen a real progression the things that started happening with her is her speech, she can’t find the words.
‘And you just see that frustration building up within her, and what I hate is that she just gives up, she just looks at me and goes.’
The presenter has been friends with the couple for over 25 years, and played Barbara’s on-screen son Grant Mitchell in EastEnders from 1990 until 1999, before reprising his role between 2005 and 2006, and 2016.
Heartbreaking: Viewers were left in tears as they praised the 82-year-old’s partner for aiding her through her dementia as she prepares to move to a care home (pictured in 2017)
Scott emotionally revealed the condition is also beginning to affect the award-winning star’s mobility, as she suffers from falls after getting up in the night.
He added: ‘The other thing is she’s started to have falls more regularly, what will happen is she will get up two or three times in the night to go to bathroom, but her legs will give way and I find her on the floor.’
Barbara’s third husband went onto admit that in recent months he’s been told that the Shoreditch-born actress will soon have to move into a care home, as he can no longer provide the round-the-clock care she needs.
Upsetting: Scott also told Ross she will soon have to move into a care home, a decision he’s ‘always feared’
He was told the upsetting development by a specialist after Barbara’s battle ‘worryingly progressed’.
The campaigner shared: ‘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.
‘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?”
Overwhelming: Ross appeared shocked to discover the sad news about his longtime friend
‘It’s worryingly progressed’: Scott emotionally revealed the condition is also beginning to affect the award-winning star’s mobility, as she suffers from falls after getting up in the night
‘Now that we are where we are, it’s a common thing that she says: ”Why are there pictures of me in this house?”’
Detailing how he’s been coping with her disease, he added: ‘I tried to do everything myself at first, I tried to run the house, do the shopping, my own work too.
‘When I first had the carers, I realised it took off the emotional stress, but what about people without that?
‘We talk about a social care problem, 70% of people in care homes have dementia, the average person with dementia will have to spend £100,000 on care. No one has that money.’
‘When I first had the carers, I realised it took off the emotional stress’: He bravely detailed how he’s been coping with her disease
‘People can be bedridden, forgetting how to speak, swallow, it will strip you of everything.’
Fans took to Twitter to express their sadness over Barbara’s current health status, with one penning: ‘My eyes are leaking #livingwithdementia’. (sic)
Others added: ‘Barbra and Scott have such a precious relationship Scott is a diamond #livingwithdementia #rosskemp.
‘Another Very moving episode of living with dementia with some really tough and moving interviews from @RossKemp on @ITV #livingwithdementia #rosskemp #itv #documentary.
Close: The author said he last saw Barbara in February, shortly before the coronavirus lockdown, but has kept in contact with Scott over the past three months
‘Anyone who has not got a tear in their eye watching this Ross Kemp #LivingWithDementia needs to double check if their heart is working. Jee wizz!
‘Watch living with dementia crying already Crying face so close to home for me and many #rosskemp #livingwithdementia.
‘Absolutely bawling my eyes out watching Ross Kemp! #LivingWithDementia!
Thank you @RossKemp for raising the issue of a very unforgiving disease. My heart is very heavy for Penny’s family. I can’t imagine what her parents are enduring with their child. And for Scott Mitchell too. What are you doing @BorisJohnson & @MattHancock?#LivingwithDementia
#livingwithdementia @RossKemp great documentaries about dementia, my Dad has Alzheimer’s so this is very close to home. Well done Ross for highlighting this. What a lovely man Scott is too, you can tell how much he loves Barbara.’ (sic)
In May, it was reported that Scott was struggling with the lockdown because Barbara couldn’t understand why nobody was visiting 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.
‘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.’
‘Absolutely bawling my eyes out’: Fans took to Twitter to express their sadness over Barbara’s current health status
The TV and theatre star diagnosed with the degenerative condition in 2014 and is now being cared for round-the-clock by Scott.
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, degenerative disease of the brain, in which build-up of abnormal proteins causes nerve cells to die. This disrupts the transmitters that carry messages, and causes the brain to shrink.
More than 5 million people suffer from the disease in the US, where it is the 6th leading cause of death, and more than 1 million Britons have it.
Scott married Barbara in April 2000 and the star is accustomed to close friends and family constantly checking in on her.
Challenging: In May, it was reported that Scott (pictured in January) was struggling with COVID-19 lockdown because Barbara can’t understand why nobody is visiting her
Barbara, who is best known for her role as Peggy 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.
Scott said her condition worsened at the beginning of the year, and that the legendary actress often gets confused as to where she is.
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.