Former EastEnders star Ross Kemp has opened up visiting his co-star and on-screen mum Barbara Windsor as she battles Alzheimer’s.
Speaking to The Sun, Ross, who played Grant Mitchell, revealed that Barbara, who played Peggy Mitchell, will sometimes forget who he is when he visits her.
“She’s as vibrant as ever but her short-term memory has gone,” Ross said.
“One minute she knows who I am then she asks, ‘Why are you here?’ The thing about dementia is that the polite filter is gone.
“It’s a bit like being a child again because you just say it how it is. Luckily, she says she still likes me, which is a relief.”
Barbara’s husband Scott revealed his wife had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in May and that she had been privately battling the disease for four years.
“It’s horrible to deal with but she’s still the same Babs we know and love,” Ross continued. “I can’t praise her and her husband Scott enough for their bravery and grace in handling her diagnosis.
“It’s a testament to their love for each other that they have managed to stick together through it.”
Back in June, Ross dubbed Barbara his “second mum” in an emotional tribute on Good Morning Britain.
“I went round for a cup of tea and I had five cups of tea, three shortbread biscuits that I’m not supposed to have on my diet, and I laughed – a lot. I was there for three and a half hours!” he said.
“She’s got this great ability when she walks through that front door, she’s just on. When I came round, it’s like seeing my second mum.”
For more information about Alzheimer’s and dementia as well as support, readers in the UK can visit the Alzheimer’s Society and those in the US can reach out to the Alzheimer’s Association.
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