Dame Barbara Windsor, star of Carry On films and EastEnders, dies aged 83

Her husband Scott Mitchell said she had died peacefully from Alzheimer's at a London care home at 8.35pm yesterday evening (December 10).

She had been diagnosed with the disease in 2014 and made the news public in 2018 before moving to a care home earlier this year.

The actress, one of Britain’s most beloved entertainment stars, first found fame in her role as a buxom blonde in the Carry On films and later became a household name playing Peggy Mitchell, the Queen Vic’s battle-axe landlady in BBC soap EastEnders.

Mr Mitchell has paid tribute to his “wife, best friend and soulmate” saying his “heart or life will never feel the same without you” following her death aged 83.

He said the cherished actress’s final weeks were “typical of how she lived her life” and “full of humour, drama and a fighting spirit until the end”.

Mr Mitchell said: “Her passing was from Alzheimer’s/dementia and Barbara eventually died peacefully and I spent the last seven days by her side.

“Myself, her family and friends will remember Barbara with love, a smile and affection for the many years of her love, fun, friendship and brightness she brought to all our lives and the entertainment she gave to so many thousands of others during her career.

“Barbara’s final weeks were typical of how she lived her life. Full of humour, drama and a fighting spirit until the end.

“It was not the ending that Barbara or anyone else living with this very cruel disease deserve. I will always be immensely proud of Barbara’s courage, dignity and generosity dealing with her own illness and still trying to help others by raising awareness for as long as she could.”

At the end of his moving tribute, Mr Mitchell said: “May you rest in peace now my precious Bar. I’ve lost my wife, my best friend and soul mate and my heart or life will never feel the same without you."

Dame Barbara in Blackpool

In September 2016, cheered on by a huge crowd, the then 79-year-old lit up the Golden Mile when she flicked the switch on the resort's Illuminations.

Best known for her role as fiery Peggy Mitchell in EastEnders, Dame Barbara delighted onlookers with her famous catchphrase, telling the crowd to ‘get out of my bleeding pub’ to huge cheers.

The queen of soap also told of her love for the resort, where she was evacuated during the Second World War and first fell in love with performing.

From the stage, she told the crowd: "Blackpool means so much to me because when I was six years old I got evacuated.

"I’m from the East End and we got bombed out and I had no home. My mum put me on a train and I came to Blackpool.

"I was evacuated to some wonderful people called the Norths. Florence and Ernest North.

"They wrote to my mum and said, ‘Can we send Barbara to dancing school because she gets up to mischief?"

“What happened was, I went to that school, I got a little certificate and I came back with a note that said, ‘She’s a born show off, let her carry on.’

“I did and I’ve been carrying on and carrying on since.

“What I’m saying is, ladies and gentlemen, is that it’s all because of Blackpool.”

Dame Barbara was then presented with flowers by children from Norbreck Primary School, where she learned how to dance during her spell in Blackpool.

You can revisit Dame Barbara's special visit to the resort by reading our full report here.

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