Beloved EastEnders actress Dame Barbara Windsor passes away aged 83

Windsor’s husband Scott Mitchell said that the actress passed away peacefully from Alzheimer’s in a London care home on Thursday evening.

Barbara had been diagnosed with the illness back in 2014 and had moved to a care home earlier this year.

Barbara’s husband has stated that she will always be remembered for the ‘love, fun, friendship and brightness she brought to all our lives’. And truly she will be. The actress who has graced our screens for well over 50 years will always be remembered for her fantastic work.

Dame Barbara was well known for her roles in nine out of the 31 films in the Carry On comedy series as well as her work in Sparrow’s Can’t Sing which earned the starlet a Bafta nomination. She even had some small roles in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and On The Fiddle with Sean Connery.

But most UK fans will always remember Barbara as landlady Peggy Mitchell in EastEnderswhere she acted alongside her screen children Ross Kemp and Steve McFadden.

Adam Woodyatt, who's character Ian Beale was once punched by the actress, shared a heartwarming post on Instagram in remembrance of his vibrant co-star. He wrote:

I took this when Dame Barbara was filming her last episodes of EastEnders in 2016. I grew up watching Babs in the Carry On films and for me to then work with her it was a privilege and honour.

I have so many happy memories and moments that I will always cherish, even when Peggy floored Ian with a punch. My thoughts are with her amazing husband Scott, her family and friends. Rest in peace Barbara xxxx.

However, the famous face retired from the soap back in 2016, the same year she was given her Dame status for her enormous efforts in charity work.

Barbara’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis never held her from her charity work either as she became an ambassador for the Alzheimer’s society.

During her ambassadorship, the Dame managed to deliver to PM Boris Johnson a letter signed by 100,000 people demanding better care for those affected by dementia claiming that the system was ‘completely inadequate, unfair, unsustainable and in dire need of more money’.

Speaking of her passing Mr Mitchell mentioned that it was not what his wife or anyone deserved:

It was not the ending that Barbara or anyone else living with this very cruel disease deserve. I will always be immensely proud of Barbara's courage, dignity and generosity dealing with her own illness and still trying to help others by raising awareness for as long as she could.

I've lost my wife, my best friend and soul mate and my heart or life will never feel the same without you.

Messages and tributes to the star have been flooding social media and the entertainment world as people pay their condolences. Danniella Westbrook, who played Barbara’s on-screen daughter inEastEnders posted on Twitter:

My heart is broken. Bar, you will always [be] in my heart forever.

Fellow EastEndersco-star Patsy Palmer who played the role of Bianca Jackson also expressed her despair over the Dame’s passing saying:

I'm extremely sad to hear that my friend 'Dame' Barbara Windsor has passed away. I'm sitting here thinking of the 100s of memories we shared. Too many to comprehend. We were like family for a long time, ups, downs, ins and outs but you will never meet a more professional actress than Babs.

Little Britain and the Great British Bake Offstar Matt Lucasalso passed on his condolences saying ‘it's not an overstatement to say I think the whole country is in mourning today’ and also praised his friend for all her charity work.

The Alzheimer’s society has also released a statement saying that they were ‘incredibly grateful’ for all the work that Barbara and her husband did for their cause. The charity released in a statement:

Dame Barbara & Scott have been awe-inspiring in their support for people affected by dementia - & instrumental in highlighting the need for change in social care. They've always been driven by the desire to help those desperately struggling to cope. We can't thank them enough.