'It's the thing I’ve always feared': Barbara Windsor may have to move to care home soon, says husband

EastEnders actor was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2014

Barbara Windsor's husband has admitted that the actor may have to move to a care home soon as her Alzheimer’s significantly worsens.

Scott Mitchell, 57, who has been married to the former EastEnders star, 82, for 20 years, is set to appear on the second part of ITV documentary Ross Kemp: Living with Dementia on Thursday (18 June).

During the episode, Mitchell discussed the moment the doctor told him “the thing I’ve always feared”, after watching Windsor’s health drastically deteriorate in recent months.

“[The specialist] is 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," Mitchell said, via The Sun:

“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.”

He continued: “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 first episode of Kemp’s documentary saw the actor, who played Windsor’s son on EastEnders, recall the first time she struggled to recognise him.

“Barbara was my ‘TV mum’ on EastEnders and is hilariously funny and ­vivacious, with a rapier wit – we’ve always had a giggle, on and off set. But now she clearly has no idea who I am,” he said, describing Windsor asking him: “Who are you?” and “What are you doing here?”

Windsor, who became a household name through the Carry On films and appearing in EastEnders as pub landlady Peggy Mitchell since 1994, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2014.