Ross: I’m so proud of Babs’ fighting spirit
ROSS KEMP says he is as close as ever to his EastEnders co-star Dame Barbara Windsor, despite her battle with Alzheimer’s.
Ross, who played her on-screen son Grant in the soap, regularly visits 81-year-old Dame Barbara, who was diagnosed with the degenerative disease in April 2014.
She only went public with the heartbreaking news last year.
Ross said: “Barbara still knows who I am. She’s lovely. I go round and see her but it is getting harder.
“I can’t reiterate enough how much her husband Scott is doing for her. He’s going above and beyond.”
Ross, who is as well known for his hard-hitting documentaries as he is for EastEnders, last appeared in Albert Square in 2016 after Dame Barbara asked him to come back for Peggy’s exit.
And when it comes to returning again, the actor – who is guest starring in motoring show Car SOS – told how he would “never say never”, admitting he’d love to meet new boss Kate Oates. “Everybody is saying how fantastic she is and I would love to meet her and have a chat. But it’s down to her, not me,” he said. “It’s always a big undertaking working on a soap but I think nowadays, you can be in a soap and do documentaries and shows like Car SOS. You have options to do all sorts of things.”
Car SOS sees old vehicles restored by mechanic John “Fuzz” Townshend and Tim Shaw.
Ross recently filmed an episode where the duo brought a 1959 Land Rover back to life in just seven days after the car’s 80-year-old owner, Brian Phillips, developed cancer.
But the actor admitted he did not get his hands dirty and pitch in to help. “Did I heck!” he said. “I haven’t got a clue when it comes to fixing cars.”
Car SOS is on National Geographic this Thursday at 8pm.
‘She still knows who I am’