Barbara Windsor‘s widower Scott Mitchell was left devastated when his wife died from Alzheimer’s Disease in 2020 at the age of 83.
Scott, 62, became a carer for the EastEnders actress in 2014 when she fell ill with the disease and the pair were married for 20 years before her death.
Now, on the five-year anniversary of her passing, he has had his broken heart mended by Barbara’s former soap co-star Tanya Franks.
Scott and Tanya initially bonded through their work in raising money for dementia charities and were close friends for years before their relationship turned romantic.
Tanya, 58, played drug addict prostitute Rainie Cross on EastEnders, appearing sporadically on the soap from 2007 to 2022 over 382 episodes and worked with Barbara on the BBC series before her health began to decline.
Scott and Tanya went public with their relationship in July 2023, having grown close while campaigning together for dementia awareness following Barbara’s diagnosis.

+8
View gallery
Barbara Windsor’s widow Scott Mitchell had his broken heart mended by her former EastEnders co-star Tanya Trank who he has been dating for two years

+8
View gallery
Scott, 62, became a carer for Barbara in 2014 when she fell ill with the disease and the pair were married for 20 years before her death in 2020 (pictured in 2019)
In 2019, Scott ran the London Marathon alongside Tanya and raised thousands for Alzheimer’s Research UK and Alzheimer’s Society in Barbara’s memory.
Alzheimer’s is close to Tanya’s heart as she also ran in honour of her step-father Derek.
In the wake of the loss of his wife, Scott detailed how his ‘incredible friendship’ with Tanya became a romance.
Speaking to This Morning hosts Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard, he said: ‘We forged an incredible friendship over the four years and something wonderful blossomed out of it.
‘The exact opposite of what dementia is. I’m very fortunate that I have a partner that doesn’t mind me speaking about my late wife.’
Scott and Tanya ran the London Marathon together a second time with fellow EastEnders stars as part of Bab’s Army.
Reflecting on his ongoing grief, Scott said: ‘I don’t think anyone ever gets over a loss of someone they love so deeply.
‘I think we find ways of carrying them with us, and that’s what I try to do every day.’
Scott refused to compare Barbara and Tanya but admitted they are ‘very different’ from one another.

+8
View gallery
Scott and Tanya went public with their relationship in July 2023, having grown close while campaigning together for dementia awareness following Barbara’s diagnosis
He said: ‘Tanya is a wonderful lady. She’s very private. She’s not how Barbara was in that respect. Barbara was an open book.
‘Barbara told you every detail about her life. Tanya has no interest in celebrity. She is a very good actress.
‘I don’t compare the two ladies. They’re very different and I have love for both of them. I wouldn’t be with anyone who wasn’t truly lovely.’
The actor, who previously shared that he ‘still wakes up in panic’ worrying about the late star, has said he believes Barbara would have given her blessing for his new romance with Tanya.
Speaking to Kate Thornton on her White Wine Question Time podcast, Scott admitted: ‘I still wake in terror. I still have moments – this morning I was quite emotional – where I just miss her.
‘That doesn’t change. I think it will be with me forever.
‘I would like to believe she would be happy that someone was there by my side and that I wasn’t on my own. She always used to say to me, “I never want you to be on your own.”‘
Despite having some public support, Scott has faced some backlash for his relationship with Tanya.
Hitting back at criticism, he said: ‘There was a bit of, “Oh he’s moved on too fast.” And you just think, “How dare you?” People don’t know the pain. They don’t know what the grief has been.’
Scott also told the Sunday Mirror newspaper: ‘I’m incredibly happy. Me being unhappy and alone is not going to bring Barbara back.
‘Life is very much for the living and we all get one shot at living. Of course, there’s always someone on the internet, who’s going to say, “Oh, it didn’t take him long.”‘
Barbara was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2014 and kept her fight with the illness private for four years.
After her death, Scott said: ‘Her passing was from Alzheimer’s/dementia and Barbara eventually died peacefully and I spent the last seven days by her side.
‘Myself, her family and friends will remember Barbara with love, a smile and affection for the many years of her love, fun, friendship and brightness she brought to all our lives and the entertainment she gave to so many thousands of others during her career.
‘Barbara’s final weeks were typical of how she lived her life. Full of humour, drama and a fighting spirit until the end.’

+8
View gallery
Tanya played drug addict prostitute Rainie Cross on EastEnders, appearing sporadically on the soap from 2007 to 2022 over 382 episodes

+8
View gallery
Scott has said he believes Barbara (pictured in 2019) would have given her blessing for his romance with Tanya
After her death, Scott said he thought he would never be able to love again. He heartbreakingly said: ‘I was blessed to have crossed paths with Barbara.
‘On paper, it shouldn’t have worked, but it did with us and I am so thankful that she chose me to share her life with because I don’t think I will ever find another.’
Prior to her relationship with Scott, Tanya was married to fellow actor James Barriscale, with whom she founded film and theatre production company Stock-pot Productions.
He played Jonathan Malnet, the adoptive father of Jade Green on the soap.
James also starred in The Bill. It is not known when the couple split.
Barbara and Scott married in 2000 and their romance was controversial at the time due to their 27-year age gap.
While little is known of his dating life prior to meeting the iconic star, Scott has shed light on the intricacies of their romance, amid rumours they had ‘an open marriage’.
He explained that their relationship was not a ‘closed book’, with Barbara not wanting her husband to ‘stop living his life to the full’. In the book, he wrote: ‘Ours was not an open relationship, but it wasn’t a closed book either…
‘She had always said sex was sex and love was love, and she wasn’t one for double standards, so she kept her reservations to herself and never asked me directly.’
Former cocaine addict Scott was supported by Barbara through his battle, as she revealed in her autobiography: ‘I think I could have stopped Scott’s spiral of self-destruction had it not been for another craving that transformed him from the wonderful guy I loved into a sad, pathetic creature I hardly recognised.

+8
View gallery
In 2019, Scott ran the London Marathon alongside Tanya and raised thousands for Alzheimer’s Research UK and Alzheimer’s Society in Barbara’s memory

+8
View gallery
Tanya was previously married to fellow actor James Barriscale. He played Jonathan Malnet, the adoptive father of Jade Green on the soap (pictured in 2015)
‘I would look at him and think: I’ve done nothing wrong and yet I’ve managed to ruin this man’s life.
‘Scott would see the tears in my eyes and promise to go on the wagon. But it never lasted for more than three or four days and then he would be off on another bender.’
Eventually, Scott received treatment for his addiction with the guidance of Elton John’s manager John Reid and treatment from therapist Beechy Colclough.
The Daily Mail has launched a drive to defeat dementia after shocking statistics showed the disease is still the UK’s biggest killer, accounting for one in nine deaths and claiming 76,000 lives each year.
This newspaper’s Defeating Dementia campaign, in association with the Alzheimer’s Society, aims to raise awareness of the disease, increase early diagnosis, boost research and improve care.
Dementia patients suffer a ‘cruel injustice’ as they often face higher care bills and there are no drugs available on the NHS to slow down, cure or prevent the condition.
However, at odds with its impact, the disease receives less funding for research than some other major illnesses, such as cancer, despite costing the economy a staggering £42billion a year.
Charities fear progress could stall after dementia was removed from official NHS planning guidance this year, effectively signalling to managers and clinicians that they should deprioritise it.
The health service aims to identify at least two in three people living with dementia, so they can get the help and treatment they need. But rates collapsed during the pandemic and have never recovered, leaving tens of thousands to struggle alone.
Tim Baverstock, from the Alzheimer’s Society, said: ‘A third of people in England and Northern Ireland and nearly half of people in Wales living with dementia still don’t have a diagnosis.
‘This means that thousands are facing the devastating realities of dementia without access to the vital care, support and treatment a diagnosis can bring.
‘Alzheimer’s Society has been working tirelessly with successive governments to improve dementia diagnosis rates.
‘We’ve seen a gradual improvement in the national rate, which is on the precipice of hitting the 66.7 per cent target, but sadly access to a diagnosis can vary greatly from one postcode to another.’