Scott Mitchell on loving Barbara Windsor through dementia diagnosis

Dame Barbara Windsor’s widower and former actor Scott Mitchell described a life of loving his late wife in a touching talk held at the Mayor’s Parlour in City Hall.

Mr Mitchell stood in front of a portrait or photograph of the couple smiling to deliver his talk on his book titled ‘By Your Side: My Life Loving Barbara Windsor’.

His delivery was clear, concise and conveyed from the heart.

He appealed to the emotions of those in attendance because of the chosen subject of Barbara’s illness.

It was clear and heartfelt, just straight talk telling of the experience during those few years.

Sitting at the back as I was, could see individuals’ faces intensely paying attention and some nodding in agreement, as many in the room had been there, or are at present experiencing the trauma of this terrible decease – Alzheimer's and dementia. I could see the talk was being perfectly received and well appreciated by the audience.

Scott met Barbara at his mum’s home, when invited to join them for dinner.

He was at first reluctant to attend, but later agreed to please his mum, and decided to go along anyway.
Scott’s mum and Barbara were in school together, attended dancing classes and had kept in touch since then.

A relationship between Scott and Barbara was about to form, a romance bloomed and that togetherness lasted 27 years.

It slowly got started when Scott would be invited to Barbara’s home to help her learn her lines for the play she was in.

Being seen together, rumours began to build – as rumours do - regarding their relationship and the wide age gap between them.

Some would wonder if Scott was a gold digger, little realising Barbara was in heavy debt at that time owing thousands of pounds and they got a lot of stick from those onlookers always ready to offer their unwanted opinions.

Also, Scott went through a period of drink and drugs which he thankfully ended many years ago.

Barbara, many will recall, was very popular in the Carry On series of films and much later as Peggy Mitchell, the Landlady of Albert Square’s Queen Vic pub in Eastenders, in the early 2000s.

Work aside, Scott and Barbara had a very happy and wonderful home life and said about his wife she was always bubbly, pleasant and very grateful to the public because she always used to say they are the ones who made her popular and put her there.

Barbara began to not feel so well at work, experiencing blackouts and finally, because of this, was forced leave the soap in 2010. She began to lose confidence and was looking strange.

Scott took her to a neurologist a couple of years later and she was diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer’s. Scott kept a close eye on her caring for her and was reluctant to put her in a care home, but eventually had to agree to take her in.

Luckily they were able to afford that move. Barbara was well looked after at the home and five months later she refused to take her medications and stopped eating. She died in 2020.

There were a couple of personal heartfelt stories told by members of the audience who had or have members of their family affected by the disease. Jeanette Ochello, Chairwoman of the Gibraltar Alzheimer’s and Dementia Society gave a brief talk about the effect on members of families looking after their loved ones and praised the work looking after these patients here, in Mount Alvernia.

Scott Mitchell, since Barbara Windsor’s passing, has been working very persistently and diligently on ways to improve the care afforded to those going through this terrible ordeal. Medications have improved but still a lot more work needs to be done which needs to be properly addressed by the NHS.