Barbara Windsor's Alzheimer's symptoms have worsened during lockdown, Ross Kemp says

Dame Barbara Windsor's Alzheimer's symptoms have worsened during lockdown and her husband is thinking about finding alternative care, Ross Kemp said.

The 82-year-old actress, who played Kemp's on-screen mother Peggy Mitchell in EastEnders, was diagnosed with the disease in 2014.

Speaking on The One Show on Tuesday, Kemp offered an update on her condition.

The 55-year-old said: "Sadly during lockdown she's got a lot worse and Scott, her husband, is now having to think about finding alternative care for her.

"Because that's basically what happens with that disease. It is the biggest killer in the UK and sadly there is no cure."

Kemp and Dame Barbara's husband Scott Mitchell have both been campaigning to raise awareness about Alzheimer's.

He added: "They decided, once they knew, once she got diagnosed, that they were not going to hide from it.

"They were going to make it as public as possible, create as much awareness as possible.

"For a lot of people, when they get that diagnosis they don't know what to do and I think someone like Dame Barbara talking about it lifts some of that stigma."

The veteran actress delivered a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson last year to call for better care for fellow sufferers.

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