Dame Barbara Windsor is "doing well" and "laughed a lot" when her former on-screen son Ross Kemp popped round for a cup of tea earlier this week.
The former ‘EastEnders’ star – who was known for playing bad boy Grant Mitchell in the long-running soap – paid a visit to the 80-year-old actress, who played matriarch Peggy Mitchell in the show, on Monday (18.06.18) and has admitted she appeared to be on good form after she revealed recently she’s battling with Alzheimer’s disease.
Speaking on ‘Good Morning Britain’ on Thursday (21.06.18), Ross, 53, said: "I went round for a cup of tea and I was there for three and a half hours.
"Her and her husband Scott have been very brave putting it out there and hopefully it will help other people with the same condition be more open about it.
"What she has done is very brave, she has a great husband in Scott. The more we talk about any issue in our life, the better we are dealing with it.
"Yeah, I went for a cup of tea. I had five cups of tea and three shortbread biscuits, which I’m not supposed to have on my diet, and I laughed a lot.
"She has this great ability, when she walks through that front door, she’s ‘on’. It was like seeing my second mum."
Barbara’s husband Scott Mitchell announced last month that she has been diagnosed with the disease – which is the most common type of dementia – and she has been in a "definite continual confusion" since she turned 80 last August.
He said: "I hope speaking out will help other families dealing with loved ones who have this cruel 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 and accept it for what it is."
Barbara has now retired from charity work as well as acting as a result of the disease.
Dame Barbara Windsor is ‘doing well’ after Alzheimer’s diagnosis
