News | Entertainment
7 Jan 2026 5:21
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Dame Barbara Windsor has been moved into a care home amid her battle with dementia

    The 82-year-old actress has been battling with Alzheimer’s - a form of dementia - for six years, and after her condition worsened, her husband Scott Mitchell has confirmed she has been moved into a specialist care facility


    Speaking to The Sun newspaper, he said: “I have been used to hustle and bustle in this little space, then suddenly, silence ?.?.?.? all you can hear are your thoughts, and that’s not always healthy.

    “I feel I’m on an emotional rollercoaster. I walk around, trying to keep busy, then burst into tears. It feels like a bereavement.

    "It’s always been my biggest fear, that one day I would have to take her somewhere and she’d be thinking, ‘Why would he do this to me?’ That fear has become a reality. It’s something I never wanted.”

    Scott - who has been married to Barbara since 2000 - was advised by the ‘EastEnders’ star’s neurologist, Dr Angus Kennedy, to tell the iconic actress she needed to go somewhere for a few days so that doctors could adjust her medication, in order to make the transition stress-free.

    He added: “Walking out of the house that day was an incredibly tough thing to do because, the reality is, I doubt if Barbara will ever return. She didn’t know that as we were driving off, but I did. It was an awful feeling.”

    Barbara had to self-isolate for two weeks when she arrived at the care home because of the coronavirus pandemic.

    And Scott, 57, says the decision to put her in care was tough, because he thinks she will “blame” him for “letting her down”.

    He said: “I won’t kid you, it hurts. She still seems unsettled and, in her lucid moments, I can see she’s worked out this isn’t temporary. She’s still thinking and saying I’ve let her down. Of course that’s a painful thing to hear, but I know it’s not the Barbara I know speaking.

    "And, let’s be honest, who else is she going to blame? I just have to smile and tell her I love her and everything I do is for her best wellbeing. I am no different to millions of other people who would have experienced this.”

    © 2026 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

     Other Entertainment News
     06 Jan: George Clooney has "rediscovered" his love of acting
     06 Jan: Denise Richards and her estranged husband, Aaron Phypers, have been evicted from their Los Angeles home
     06 Jan: Aled Jones "didn't know" all of Walking in the Air when he went to record it
     06 Jan: Fatboy Slim "doggedly" sticks to Hawaiian shirts
     06 Jan: Pat McGrath believes make-up is a "language of feeling"
     06 Jan: Ian Ziering has been accused of battery and assault
     06 Jan: Sir Michael Palin believes his comedy background "helps" his travel documentaries
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    It's au revoir for AJ Lam after the upcoming Super Rugby season More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    EB Games is proposing to shut down its New Zealand business - according to a letter sent to employees More...



     Today's News

    Law and Order:
    What are Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores alleged to have done? 22:17

    Cricket:
    The Auckland Hearts are struggling to mount a sizeable total in their women's Super Smash T20 against the Sparks on Eden Park's outer oval 21:57

    Entertainment:
    George Clooney has "rediscovered" his love of acting 21:53

    Entertainment:
    Denise Richards and her estranged husband, Aaron Phypers, have been evicted from their Los Angeles home 21:23

    Environment:
    Construction's underway on new flood resilience for a road in Hawke's Bay's Omahu 21:17

    Entertainment:
    Aled Jones "didn't know" all of Walking in the Air when he went to record it 20:53

    Entertainment:
    Fatboy Slim "doggedly" sticks to Hawaiian shirts 20:23

    Entertainment:
    Pat McGrath believes make-up is a "language of feeling" 19:53

    Law and Order:
    More than 50 people have been scouring the Southern Alps for missing tramper Connor Purvis 19:47

    Entertainment:
    Ian Ziering has been accused of battery and assault 19:23


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2026 New Zealand City Ltd