Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
My dream dame
Walliams supports pal Babs in first pic since Alzheimer’s news
CARING David Walliams poses with showbiz pal Barbara Windsor – the first time she has been seen since her Alzheimer’s was made public.
The comedian, a long-time friend of Dame Barbara’s, posted the sweet photo of the pair on Instagram yesterday.
He captioned it: “Afternoon tea with the woman of my dreams ever since I was a boy, the unbreakable Dame Barbara Windsor.”
The former Carry On and Eastenders star, 80, has been battling Alzheimer’s for four years. Her condition was revealed by husband Scott Mitchell last month.
Walliams, 46, was one of a handful of friends who knew about her struggle. The Britain’s Got Talent judge regularly takes the ailing actress out for dinner with her other close pal, Christopher Biggins.
Walliams and Barbara have been close for many years and often attend showbiz events with his mum, Kathleen.
Barbara also helped him celebrate receiving his OBE, with a dinner party at Scotts last year. They are so close that they shared a kiss during Comic Relief in 2015.
The telly great, made a Dame in 2015, quit her role as Peggy Mitchell in Eastenders in 2016, two years after her devastating diagnosis, as she started to struggle with learning her lines.
She decided to keep it private from her fans until recently.
Husband Scott said they chose to go public with her condition as Barbara’s symptoms had deteriorated in recent weeks.
He said: “I hope speaking out will help other families dealing with loved ones who have this disease.
“Secondly, I want the public to know because they are naturally very drawn to Barbara and she loves talking to them. So rather than me living in fear she might get confused or upset, they’ll know that if her behaviour seems strange, it’s due to Alzheimer’s.”
The 55-year-old former actor and recruitment consultant said he spoke out because he “did not want someone else to dictate how or when the diagnosis came out”.
Scott, who married Barbara in 2000, said it has been “more difficult for us to hide” since she turned 80 last summer. He said he has been aware of “rumours” in showbiz circles and he can “no longer protect her”.
Scott added: “I’m doing this because I want us to be able to go out and, if something isn’t quite right, it will be OK.”