Barbara Windsor’s husband reveals she forgets where she lives and that they’re married as Alzheimer's worsens
9 August 2019, 12:11 | Updated: 9 August 2019, 12:18
EastEnders legend Barbara Windsor’s Alzheimers disease has worsened, after going public with her diagnosis last year.
In May last year, actress Barbara Windsor, 82, revealed she had been diagnosed with Alzheimers in April 2014, privately fighting the disease for four years.
Now, the EastEnders’ actress’ husband, Scott, has revealed that her illness is getting worse, and that she sometimes forgets where she lives, and that she is married.
Talking to The Sun, Scott said: “Barbara has been overwhelmed by the public's support.
READ MORE: Barbara Windsor is all smiles as she celebrates 82nd birthday with friend Davis Walliams
“Of course I do have to keep reminding her, but that's the nature of the condition unfortunately.
“It's a progressive illness, which is what you have to understand. Her symptoms and condition is pretty much the same, if not worse. That's what happens. It deepens as you go through.”
While Barbara is currently on medication to help manage the Alzheimers, the nature of the disease will see the actress slowly lose memories.
Scott also said that when they have people over, you “can see her really pull herself together”, as she makes conversation, but he also adds that she does repeat herself.
“The likelihood is within five or ten minutes she'll forget who she's seen or what we've done that day”, he explained.
Scott went on to add: “She does well, but it is very frightening for the people living with it. You can't gloss over it.
“It is not a nice illness. It is a disease. It's a disease of the brain.
“It causes the person a lot of anxiety and terror at times. It's very difficult to watch."
As hard as the disease is for Barbara, Scott, and the rest of her family and friends, her husband always tries to remain positive.
He said: “The way I deal with it is to think that because it's the first time she's said it in her mind, I always try to answer it like it's the first time she's said it.
"I do a lot of smiling when I answer her, whether it's been the 15th or 20th time we've had that discussion.
"I just look at her and say where we are.”
In a heartbreaking revelation, Scott said that his wife often doesn’t know where home is, or that they are married.
He said: “A lot of it is that she doesn't know our location, which is our normally home.
"She'll constantly say 'when are we going home'. I'm either the centre of her being, or other times she'll look at me and ask if we're married.”
Recently, Barbara called on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to solve the dementia care crisis in an open letter.
The actress signed an open letter to the new Prime Minister demanding action on the “inadequate, unfair and unsustainable” system.
Joining up with charity Alzheimer’s Society, Barbara and her husband Scott Mitchell, 56, also appear in a video calling on the government to invest £2.4billion to overhaul dementia care.
