As Barbara Windsor’s widower, Scott Mitchell reflects on the incredible life and legacy of his late wife, he reveals sadly that not everyone was happy for him when he found love again
On the fifth anniversary of the iconic star’s death, Barbara Windsor’s widower, acting agent Scott Mitchell, has revealed that sadly, when he found love again, not everyone was happy for him.
The 62-year-old dementia campaigner revealed during an exclusive chat with the Mirror that after going public last year on his romance with former EastEnders star Tanya Frank, 58, who played Rainie Cross in the soap, some nasty keyboard warriors just had to have their say.
He said, “There’s always that person that says, ‘That was quick’. It’s easy to sit on the sidelines and cast judgement – especially with social media. These people forget that their words can really hurt.”
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Opening up on his ‘wonderful’ relationship with Tanya, Scott said that she is very accepting of what a huge presence Barbara still is in his life – and has her own vested interest in dementia awareness, after her step-father Derek died of the devastating disease last year, following an 11-year battle.
Scott said: “Tanya allows me to talk about Barbara any time I need to. In the same way she can with me. I’m never second-guessing if the moment’s right. If I thought any of it hurt her, I wouldn’t do it.”
Tanya also often accompanies Scott to his regular talks about the lived experience of caring for someone with Alzheimer’s. He said, “The first thing I do is introduce Tanya and say, ‘Before we start I’d like to acknowledge my partner Tanya is here – and thank her for allowing me to share my story.”
He also confessed that, though their time on EastEnders didn’t cross, Barbara ‘liked’ Tanya when they met – as she knew her stuff when it came to the acting world. “The team used to come to our house,” explained Scott, “and Tanya and Barbara got on really well. Barbara liked Tanya – she’d say, ‘She asks sensible questions about acting!’
“Tanya wanted to know all about theatre director Joan Littlewood, she knew her stuff and that meant a lot to Barbara. It was lovely that they did meet.”
Scott and Tanya became friends as they worked together and ran the London Marathon, along with other EastEnders colleagues, later as part of ‘Bab’s Army’, before their friendship some years on, blossomed into love. He revealed that the pair will be spending Christmas together with their families – but won’t forget those that are missing, admitting, “There are always empty chairs at Christmas. And we will be remembering our loved ones – as it should be.”
Elsewhere, Scott praised the amazing legacy of his late wife, as he remembered her at her best. “Certain people truly earn the title of national treasure – Barbara was one of them. But for me, I’ll simply remember how she was, how loving she was with me. She made me laugh so much – she was true to herself, honest about her flaws and her past.
“She taught me a lot about getting rid of ego – I wasn’t as good at that in my younger days. People laughed when we first got together, but we lasted the course – it was unconditional love.”
He added, “It took us forever to go anywhere, she’d talk to everyone. It was like walking down the street with Tinkerbell. She loved other people and their stories – she would sprinkle her special fairy dust on everyone.”
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