Dame Barbara Windsor has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's Dementia, her husband has confirmed. Speaking to The Sun about the former EastEnders star's condition, Scott Mitchell explained that although she was diagnosed back in 2014, her condition has worsened in the last few weeks. He said: "Since her 80th birthday last August, a definite continual confusion has set in, so it's becoming a lot more difficult for us to hide. I'm doing this because I want us to be able to go out and, if something isn't quite right, it will be okay because people will now know that she has Alzheimer's and will accept it for what it is."
© Photo: Getty ImagesBarbara has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's
Scott continued: "I hope speaking out will help other families dealing with loved ones who have this cruel disease. Secondly, I want the public to know because they are naturally very drawn to Barbara and she loves talking to them. She often asks me, 'Do the public know that I'm not well?' And she asked me again this morning. I said they didn't yet, but we were going to have to let them know because so many people are talking now. But if she forgets that she gave me her blessing, well, I'll just have to deal with that."
© Photo: Getty ImagesBarbara's husband opened up about her illness
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Scott explained that they noticed that Barbara was struggling to learn her lines back in 2009, and that she eventually went in for tests after she started repeating stories and sentences back in 2012. Following the diagnosis, Scott revealed that Barbara told him: "I'm so sorry." He explained: "I squeezed her hand back and said, 'Don't worry, we'll be OK.'" Speaking about Barbara's diagnosis, the director at Alzheimer's Research UK, Tim Parry, said: "We are saddened to hear of Dame Barbara's diagnosis with Alzheimer's. It's to be congratulated that Scott is speaking out to encourage other affected individuals and families to do the same when it's right for them. It's important to bring the disease out into the open as a crucial step towards us tackling it. Alzheimer's is a physical disease, in the same way that cancer or heart disease are, and there shouldn't be stigma in being open about it."
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