EXCLUSIVE Ross Kemp reveals touching discovery writing Dame Barbara Windsor's eulogy that left him so moved he immediately called her husband

Daily Mail​

21-04-2025

Ross Kemp has revealed a touching moment he experienced when he had the honour of writing Dame Barbara Windsor 's eulogy.
The Bridge of Lies host, 60, shared with MailOnline the final time Barb, known for her no-nonsense soap character Peggy Mitchell, sent her love and thanked him for the final time.
Barbara died aged 83 in 2020 following a battle with Alzheimer's.
But when Ross sat down to honour the veteran actress and write her eulogy for the funeral, he accidentally stumbled across an old card from her when looking for a pen.
He told MailOnline: 'I wrote her eulogy and I spoke her eulogy.
Ross Kemp has revealed a touching moment he experienced when he had the honour of writing Dame Barbara Windsor's eulogy
The Bridge of Lies host, 60, shared with MailOnline the final time Barb, known for her no-nonsense soap character Peggy Mitchell, sent her love and thanked him for the final time
'I keep my pilot pens out of the reach because I'm old fashioned. I use a pen and paper when I'm working as a reporter and I keep the pens away from the kids.
'I was writing her eulogy and my pen ran out. It took me two days to write it. And I reached up, it's a true story, a card, like a thin card - I didn't know what it was at the time - got caught under my fingernails as I was reaching for the Biro.
'And I pulled it up, and it was a card from her that she'd sent me some flowers. I didn't even know that was up there. I must have just thrown that up there in a little random moment.
'And it was ''Thank you, darling. Love you, Bar.''
'And it was like so weird that I rang Scott [her husband] up and I said, ''you won't believe what's just happened''.'
The actor and Barbara starred together on EastEnders, where he played her son, Grant.
Ross revealed he often thinks of Barbara as he reminisced over her 'wicked' sense of humour and her fun-loving gossipy nature.
He said from time to time certain conversations trigger memories from their time together.
But when Ross sat down to honour the veteran actress and write her eulogy for the funeral, he accidentally stumbled across an old card from her when looking for a pen
Speaking at a shooting of his upcoming Bridge of Lies show, the EastEnders legend told MailOnline: 'I often think of her and she was a true friend.
'She was incredibly funny, incredibly gossipy, had a wicked sense of humour, could be quite wicked as well.'
'But she was also a very caring person. She's always in my thoughts, not all of it every day, but there are things that will trigger it.'
He revealed that he thought of her just days before when he was asked about the Carry On films in an interview.
Barbara was diagnosed with Alzeimers in 2014 and kept it a secret for four years.
During her life she fell in love and married her husband Scott Mitchell in 2000 but their romance at the time was controversial at the time due to their 27-year-age gap.
At the time he was branded a 'gold digger'.
He previously said of the backlash: 'Little did they know that after the breakdown of Bar's second marriage, she was £1million in debt and we were talking about her coming to live in my two-bed flat.'
Meanwhile, Barbara called Scott, who was her third husband, 'the best thing that ever happened to her'.
In 2009, the soap star announced she would be leaving her legendary role as Peggy to spend more time with her husband.
She starred on EastEnders as pub landlady Peggy Mitchell on and off from 1994 to 2016 and was famous for her catchphrase: 'Get outta ma pub!'
The couple received the news the actress was suffering with Alzheimer's in 2014, with Scott saying he broke down in tears at the neurologist's office.
Barbara chose to keep her condition secret for four years before asking her husband to make the announcement in May 2018.
Scott became Barbara's primary carer until he made the decision to move her into a full-time residential care home due to her battle with dementia.
Ross made a film with Dame Barbara's husband Scott Mitchell, who he said he is now 'best mates' with.
Ross and Barbara were close pals in real life - he even made a film with Dame Barbara's husband Scott Mitchell and other families living with dementia
Speaking about his programme titled Ross Kemp: Living with Dementia, Ross explained that Barbara's battle had a severe effect on her husband Scott too, as the star's primary carer.
Following news of her tragic death, Ross took to Instagram to pay tribute to the legendary actress.
He penned: 'Dame Barbara Windsor, the woman who always had time for everybody, has sadly left us.
'I will miss Bar always. My thoughts are with her husband Scott, who could have done no more and who stayed strong for her to the very end.'
Celebrity Bridge Of Lies returns to BBC One and iPlayer for a brand new series on Saturday 3 May.
WHAT IS ALZHEIMER'S?
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative disease of the brain, in which build-up of abnormal proteins causes nerve cells to die.
This disrupts the transmitters that carry messages, and causes the brain to shrink.
More than 5 million people suffer from the disease in the US, where it is the 6th leading cause of death, and more than 1 million Britons have it.
WHAT HAPPENS?
As brain cells die, the functions they provide are lost.
That includes memory, orientation and the ability to think and reason.
The progress of the disease is slow and gradual.
On average, patients live five to seven years after diagnosis, but some may live for ten to 15 years.
EARLY SYMPTOMS:
Loss of short-term memory
Disorientation
Behavioral changes
Mood swings
Difficulties dealing with money or making a phone call
LATER SYMPTOMS: