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Dame Barbara Windsor’s EastEnders co-stars have directed tributes to the former Carry On star after her death at the age of 83.
The film and television actress, who suffered from dementia, died in a London nursing home with her husband Scott Mitchell by her side.
Steve McFadden, who plays Dame Barbara’s on-screen son Phil Mitchell, said “I really loved Barbara and like everyone else, I’m going to miss her terribly.”
She added: “When someone asked what she was like, they always said that she was everything you would expect her to be, and more.”
Letitia Dean, who plays Sharon Mitchell, said it was “absolutely heartbreaking news that I woke up to this morning.”
The actress said: “They broke the mold when they made Dame Barbara Windsor. There will never be another like that amazing woman.”
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‘She always knew her lines and was never late’
Shane Richie, who played Alfie Moon in Walford, said he was “absolutely devastated,” adding that they “shared a lot of stories between shoots.”
Adam Woodyatt, who plays Ian Beale, said he had “so many happy memories and moments that I will always cherish, even when Peggy took Ian down with a punch.”
Patsy Palmer, who played Bianca Jackson, said: “Now I can hear that laugh as I sit and think about her. I hope it rings in my ears forever. She always took care of me.”
Barbara Windsor with Roger Moore in The Saint. Image: ITV / Shutterstock
Danniella Westbrook, who played Sam Mitchell, Dame Barbara’s on-screen daughter, tweeted: “My heart is broken.”
Danny Dyer, another Queen Vic owner, wrote on Instagram: “Rest In Peace Babs. There is only one Dame in my eyes. I am so grateful to have met you. You were a beautiful weirdo.”
Lucy Benjamin, who played Lisa Fowler on the East London soap opera, told Sky News that Windsor “knew how to make people happy.”
She said: “People found her very approachable. I remember being with her at events and opening nights and everyone wanted to meet her, everyone wanted to hug her, shake her hand, get an autograph, and she was always there for people, and wanted to do it, and I wanted to make people happy.
“She was a professional and she knew how to make people happy and that is why she is an icon. She had that sympathy. People felt they knew her.”
Give me Barbara as a child. Image: Moviestore / Shutterstock
Boris Johnson, who met Dame Barbara last year when she campaigned for better dementia care, tweeted that she was “much more than a great pub landlady and star of Carry On.”
The prime minister added: “He campaigned for the lonely and the vulnerable, and enlivened the world with his own British brand of harmless mischief and innocent scandal. Thoughts with Scott and all his family and friends.”
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Dame Barbara in EastEnders and Carry On Abroad
Former Prime Minister David Cameron said Dame Barbara “truly was a national treasure who worked tirelessly to campaign for charity, including Alzheimer’s Research UK. Always a pleasure to meet her, she will brighten the day and gladden the heart and we will miss her. enormously”.
Actress Dame Joan Collins said show business had “lost a legend.”
Windsor with notorious East End gangster Ronnie Kray (left), London, around 1960
Writer Gyles Brandreth said that Dame Barbara “put the bubbles in the champagne of life.”
Actress Sheridan Smith wrote: “She was one of my idols … and she couldn’t have been nicer.”
TV host Jonathan Ross tweeted: “So warm, so funny, so kind. Good night, honey.”
A tweet from the official EastEnders account read: “We are all deeply saddened to have lost our Lady. Barbara created an icon on Peggy Mitchell, our formidable landlady.
“To all of us at EastEnders, she was our dearest friend, truly loved and adored by all. Our thoughts are with the Scott and Barbara family.”
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