Barbara Windsor’s husband Scott Mitchell has revealed her Alzheimer’s has “progressed” and she now often does not recognise the home they share together.
Scott gave an update on the former EastEnders star’s condition, with which she was diagnosed in 2014, after the couple first revealed details of her diagnosis last year.
Speaking on Steve Wright’s Radio 2 show, he said: “There’s good and bad days, the confusion does progress and that becomes a lot more stressful for her to live with and you as the carer to watch.
“I think what I’ve learnt by talking to other people is its very different for every case. It’s very simple things that used to be very easy, whether that’s signing something or writing a letter, opening something.”
He continued: “At times it’s very frustrating and irritable. It gets worse at night. With Barbara it’s to do with our house. She constantly asks me over and over again at night whose house is this, are we staying here, is this house I grew up with my mummy.”
Scott’s comments follow those of Barbara’s former co-star Kellie Shirley, who claimed the Peggy Mitchell actor was struggling to remember names.
She told the Sunday Express: “A massive part of being an actor is remembering things. Your memories are such a big part of who you are. That’s why I feel for Barbara. She remembers so much about the past as clear as day yet she won’t remember my name.
“We still have funny moments. It’s not bleak all the time, but it is hardcore. It’s a cruel disease that robs you of your memories.”
Scott and Kellie are planning to complete the London Marathon for the Dementia Revolution campaign with a host of other EastEnders stars in order to raise funds for vital research.
Scott previously revealed Barbara has been left in need of constant care, as she can no longer be left alone.
He told The Mirror in January: “She thanks me for looking after her. I say to her, ‘You don’t have to thank me’. Barbara can’t be left alone any more. That’s the reality of it. She has to have constant care.
“She can’t look after herself but then we still sit and have dinner and watch TV and have normal conversations.”