Dame Barbara Windsor feared she was the wrong person to play Peggy Mitchell in EastEnders
Dame Barbara Windsor once feared that she was the wrong person to play Peggy Mitchell in EastEnders.
The late actress, who died two years ago aged 83, played Queen Vic’s iconic landlady in 1994 and 2016 and was one of the soap’s most popular and beloved characters.
But her husband Scott Mitchell says Barbara “didn’t think she was right for TV” and had “lost her confidence” amid the gap between her appearances in the Carry On films and the BBC soap opera.
Initial doubts: Dame Barbara Windsor once feared she was the wrong person to play Peggy Mitchell in EastEnders (pictured 1994)
Speaking about his wife’s initial misgivings about heading to the small screen, Scott, 59, said And yes? podcast: ‘We didn’t know how it was going to go. She was very nervous about EastEnders. She didn’t think she was suitable for television.
“She was like, ‘Oh, I’m too big, Scott, I’m all hands, jazz hands and all.”
‘She didn’t think she would submit to that acting style. It’s ridiculous. She had done it all.
Scott went on to say that he believed his late partner, who sadly lost her battle with Alzheimer’s disease in 2020, was full of self-doubt in the midst of the period between her portrayal of the role and the Carry On films, in which she starred. . in the 60s and 70s.
Role: Scott Mitchell says Barbara “didn’t think she was right for TV” and had “lost her confidence” amid the gap between her appearances in the Carry On films and the BBC soap opera (in the photo by Carry On Doctor in 1967)
He said: “But when people go through that phase, say, between the ‘Carry On’ phase and the ‘EastEnders’ phase, there can be a dip in their career, I think it’s very natural for artists to lose confidence as well, and I think that Barbara lost confidence.
‘So she really worked. I remember in the early days of EastEnders she would come back and be like, “Oh Scott, I feel like the newbie there.”
“But she’d say, ‘I’m going to work hard and make sure I get it.’ And that’s what she did.
Icon: The late actress, who died two years ago at 83, played the iconic Queen Vic landlady in 1994 and 2016 and was one of the soap’s most popular and beloved characters
‘She didn’t think she was right for TV’ Speaking about his wife’s initial misgivings about heading to the small screen, Scott, 59, told What If? podcast: ‘We didn’t know how she was going to go. She was very nervous about EastEnders’
Meanwhile, Ross Kemp, 58, who played Peggy’s son Grant Mitchell on the soap, says he still feels Barbara’s presence.
The actor said: “There’s always a bit of Barbara hanging around.” I have a photo of Barbara at home in my house, which I will always keep.
‘He is very dear to me. She gave it to me when I met her. I will always keep it.
Caption: ‘She didn’t think she would submit to that acting style. It’s ridiculous. She had done it all’
‘I think he lost his confidence’: Scott said: ‘When people go through that phase, say, between the ‘Carry On’ phase and ‘EastEnders’, there can be a dip in their career’ (Barbara pictured at Carry On at the abroad in 1972)
It comes after Barbara’s widower Scott called himself “the worst gold digger ever” two years after the EastEnders actress died.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain on Friday, Scott claimed that people have cruelly accused him of only using the Carry On legend, who was 26 years his senior, for his money.
But her celebrity friends were unaware that, behind the scenes, Barbara was £1 million in debt when the couple met.
Dame Barbara died in December 2020 at the age of 83, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Candid: Barbara’s widower Scott, 59, called himself “the worst gold digger ever” two years after the EastEnders actress’ death
Scott, who began his relationship with the soap star when she was 63 and he was 27, said: “She was a million pounds in debt when we met.” I must have been the world’s worst gold digger. I was really wrong, wasn’t I?’
Everyone thought who is this guy who is this unknown actor. They thought it was me who ended the marriage. [her second]. They called me a gold digger.
Following Barbara’s death, Scott was left with £4.6 million in his will, with the actress also donating to various charities.
Honesty: Speaking on Good Morning Britain on Friday, Scott, 59, claimed people accused him of using the Carry On legend, who was 26 years his senior, for his money even though he was in debt £1 million (pictured together in 2011)
The iconic actress was married three times in her life, first to Ronnie Knight in 1964 and then to Stephen Hollings for nine years before divorcing in 1995.
Scott continued to reflect on Barbara’s death by saying, ‘It’s unbelievable. Tomorrow marks two years. I keep thinking she’s going to walk through the door.’
‘It’s something deep inside of me. I wake up some mornings wondering if he’s still okay.’
‘After 27 years I am still in the early stages of grieving and processing. I still think about the good times. That’s a very good thing for me to come back.
‘I lost my best friend. My other half. That’s what I lost. That’s why I still feel that feeling now that she’s still there with me. Sometimes feeling the loneliness that she is no longer there.
True love: Scott, who met the star when she was 63 and he was 27, said: “She was a million pounds in debt when we met.” I must have been the world’s worst gold digger. I was really wrong, wasn’t I?