Dame Barbara Windsor’s widower Scott Mitchell has spoken about his late wife’s Alzheimer's disease on Channel 4'sSteph’s Packed Lunch.
To mark World Alzheimer’s Day, Scott got candid about being Barbara’s carer before her death last year.
He said: "I spent 27 years of my life with Barbara and I’m a very lucky man for that.
"She was a very fun, kind, warm lady… Barbara may have only been four foot 10 and a half, but she was a force to be reckoned with."
Scott continued: "Barbara was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2014 and she passed in 2020, December 10th .
"Barbara became a lot more withdrawn, for her, and then I realised that conversations were becoming repetitive so of course it’s an immensely confusing and frightening situation for the person living with it.
"And of course, for the carer, the most painful thing to watch is that you’re powerless against this thing."
Scott is a supporter of Alzheimer’s Research UK, running the London Marathon for the charity in 2019.
There, Scott met his friend Sue who has vascular dementia and her partner Sheila to see how they have adapted to living with dementia.
Speaking to Shelia, Scott said he wanted to ask her one question: "Are you okay?"
He offered her some advice, saying: “All I can say to you from sharing that experience is do look after yourself.”
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He also visited King’s College London to hear about cannabis-based medicine trials that aim to improve the quality of life of people living with Alzheimer’s.
He concluded by saying: "The experience of living through this is something nobody should have to go through.
"This is affecting everyone now, it’s not going away, it’s why it’s so important we get behind it, talk about it and we find a cure.”
Steph’s Packed Lunch airs weekdays at 12.30pm on Channel 4 and All 4
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