Dame Barbara Windsor passed away on Thursday, six years after her devastating Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
The beloved actress, best known for her roles in EastEnders and the Carry On films, died peacefully in a London care home with her husband Scott Mitchell by her side.
In a statement, Scott said: “Barbara’s final weeks were typical of how she lived her life. Full of humour, drama and a fighting spirit until the end.”
The news of Barbara’s death has been met with an outpouring of grief from friends, fans and former co-stars.
Her iconic portrayal of Peggy Mitchell made her one of television best-loved stars, as she told many a drinker to “get outta my pub!”.
Did Barbara Windsor have any children?
Although she was married three times, Barbara Windsor chose not to have children.
This was a decision that she never regretted. As she told The Sun : “I consider myself to be a warm and lovely person but I never had any maternal feelings. Neither did my mother, so that message was constantly fed to me as a child”.
In her 2000 autobiography, All Of Me, Barbara recalled her five abortions. Three took place while she was in her twenties, and the last one when she was 42.
Barbara Windsor didn’t regret her decision not to have children (Image: Getty Images)
Although she had no children of her own, on the set of EastEnders Barbara was known for looking after the younger actors.
Since her death, tributes have flooded in from her former co-stars, from friends, and from fans.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain, Larry Lamb, who played Barbara’s on-screen husband Archie, called her “something special in life”.
He continued: “She was absolutely real. When she was talking to us, there was no sense that this was some sort of special person talking to you.
“She had a way of being able to conduct herself and relate to people that just came exactly from where she’d grown up and the way she was.
“She was her. She was Barbara.”
Larry Lamb played Archie in EastEnders (Image: BBC)
Larry also commended Barbara’s husband Scott for “worshipping her and standing by her” when she needed it most.
Scott and Barbara married in 2000, five years after her divorce from restauranteur Stephen Hollings.
Before Stephen, Barbara was married to gangster Ronnie Knight.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
