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Actor Christopher Biggins reveals ‘saddest thing’ about lunch date with Dame Barbara Windsor

He said Babs was otherwise "fantastic"

Former Porridge star Christopher Biggins has appeared on Good Morning Britain to offer an update on Dame Barbara Windsor’s dementia battle.

The actor, 70, said the EastEnders legend was “fantastic” and “on form” when they met up for a lunch date last month.

Christopher Biggins on GMB
Christopher has been good pals with Babs for 30 years (Credit: ITV)

Read more: EastEnders’ Barbara Windsor calls for Boris Johnson to solve dementia care crisis

Speaking via live link with GMB presenters Richard Madeley and Ranvir Singh, Christopher said: “When I had lunch with her about five weeks ago in central London, she was fantastic. She was really good and she was on form and we laughed a lot.

“What happens is, she remembers the past. But it’s the way, way past. It’s things that happen on the day and the day before that are difficult for her.”

Despite Dame Barbara’s great sense of humour, Christopher admitted there was one particularly upsetting aspect of their catch-up.

Christopher Biggins on GMB
He said she kept repeating the same questions (Credit: ITV)

Richard opened up about his own experiences around people with the disease, revealing: “I have a very good friend who’s going through this now. And she tends to ask you a question, and you’ll answer. And about a minute later she’ll ask you the same question again and you’ll answer again, give her the information. It’s fine. It goes in. And then a minute later you get the same question.”

He then asked: “Is [Barbara] at that stage now?”

Christopher explained: “Unfortunately, yes. She asked me during the period of lunch about six or seven times what was I doing, where did I live, and it was the same repeated question. That is what’s the saddest thing about it all.”

He added that it’s “tricky” and “frustrating” for Barbara’s husband, Scott, because he lives with it “all the time”.

Christopher has been close pals with Dame Barbara since they toured together with the Guys & Dolls musical 30 years ago.

Asked about her emotional well-being, he insisted she is “very happy” and “in a very good place” as she has “everything looked after”, with people coming in to do Barbara’s hair and make-up for her.

Elsewhere in the interview, Christopher revealed the time Barbara swore at him for being patronising shortly after her diagnosis in 2014.

Scott and Barbara Windsor
Barbara with her husband, Scott Mitchell (Credit: ITV)

Read more: GMB viewers threaten to ‘turn off’ following presenter Richard Arnold’s gags

He explained how he went round to her house to see her and was “cruel” when he spoke to her really slowly and clearly.

But Barbara hilariously used the ‘F’ word and they “laughed a lot about it”.

Her husband Scott spoke about her worsening condition earlier this month, telling presenter Chris Evans on his Virgin Radio Breakfast Show that there are now “two sides of the condition” and Barbara will sometimes ask if they are married.

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Nancy Brown
Associate Editor