Dame Barbara Windsor’s husband admits it’s ‘heartbreaking’ to watch her deteriorate amid Alzheimer’s battle

Barbara Windsor’s husband has opened up about the ‘heartbreaking’ reality of his wife’s battle with Alzheimer’s.

Scott Mitchell, 56, spoke candidly about his wife of 25 years as he revealed her health is sadly deteriorating, admitting the Barbara he married is “slowly disappearing”.

His admission comes after he previously spoke about how upsetting it is when his wife, 81, does not recognise him or their home.

“It’s a really cruel, horrible condition. For anyone who has seen a loved one go through it, it’s a horrible thing to witness,” he said on the Chris Evans Breakfast Show on Virgin Radio on Monday.

“You see that person slowly disappearing before your eyes, being stripped of who they were.

“Anyone who has been through it would tell you it’s the most heartbreaking thing to watch.”

Meanwhile, Scott is gearing up to run the Virgin Money London Marathon on April 28 as part of the Barbara’s Revolutionaries team, who hope to raise £100,000 for the Dementia Revolution campaign.

His team includes EastEnders stars Adam Woodyatt, Jake Wood, Emma Barton, Natalie Cassidy, Kelly Shirley, Tanya Franks, Jamie Borthwick and Jane Slaughter.

On Sunday, Scott had a taster of what’s to come as he ran The Vitality Big Half in London in preparation for the full marathon.

But he confessed the day was made ‘much more poignant’ by his returning home to find Barbara struggling with her illness.

He added to Chris Evans, “Yesterday, the irony was I had the most fantastic day and saw you guys, and all the crowds and everything else – and the adrenaline.

“I got home and Barbara was having a really tough day. It really brought it home for me.”

Barbara Windsor – best known for playing Peggy Mitchell in EastEnders – was diagnosed with the disease back in 2014 but only revealed her condition to the public in May last year.

Back in January, Scott revealed that he can no longer leave his wife alone and had to hire carers to help take care of the soap legend.

“I used to feel very guilty about leaving her, so I could be stuck in the house for two or three days,” he admitted.

“When I did first have carers in I still felt a sense of guilt.

“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.”

The post Dame Barbara Windsor’s husband admits it’s ‘heartbreaking’ to watch her deteriorate amid Alzheimer’s battle appeared first on Woman Magazine.

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