Babs still knows onscreen son Ross... despite her battles with Alzheimer’s

ROSS Kemp has spoken of his close friendship with Barbara Windsor, revealing she can still recognise him despite her Alzheimer’s battle. The soap star, 54, who once played her onscreen son Grant Mitchell in EastEnders, said he tried to visit Barbara, 81, as much as he can.

Barbara was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2014, with husband Scott, 55, acting as her primary carer.

‘Barbara has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s but she still knows who I am,’ Ross said.

‘She’s lovely. I go round and see her but it’s getting harder. I can’t reiterate enough how much Scott is doing for her. He’s going above and beyond in the way he’s looking after her.’

Scott revealed that the former Carry On star cannot be left alone and requires assistance from carers.

He said Barbara believes she is in Stoke Newington, where she was raised, rather than at home with Scott, 55, and that it can make her very emotional.

‘I used to feel very guilty about leaving her, so I could be stuck in the house for two or three days. When I did first have carers in, I still felt a sense of guilt,’ Scott said.

‘But I also realised it is so important for me to have that little bit of rest from the situation — otherwise you can’t keep strong. You need to keep strong for the other person.’

He revealed that watching television helps Barbara, as does listening to a radio station designed for those suffering with dementia.

‘They make it very easy and you can do playlists — there’s a whole thing of Barbara’s career and her songs on that. She really loves that, she connects with it,’ he added.

He also revealed that Barbara often apologises to her husband every night with the haunting words: ‘I’m sorry about this.’

Scott said: ‘She thanks me for looking after her. I say to her, “You don’t have to thank me”. Barbara can’t be left alone any more. That’s the reality of it. She has to have constant care. She can’t look after herself but then we still sit and have dinner and watch TV and have normal conversations.’

And she gets quite emotional watching old Carry On films amid her battle with Alzheimer’s.

Scott, who wed the TV star in 2000, said she watches clips of herself and it reminds her of how she was before she was diagnosed with the condition.

Barbara revealed last year that she had been told she had Alzheimer’s four years ago, but watching old clips of herself brings back happy memories.

Scott also said that Barbara still enjoys watching EastEnders every night and particularly loves when she spots a photo of herself as Peggy Mitchell in a framed picture behind the Queen Vic bar.