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Dame Barbara Windsor’s prophecy came true on Friday as an iconic Carry On Camping image adorned the order of service at her funeral as heartbroken husband Scott is joined by Ross Kemp, David Walliams and Matt Lucas.Â
The picture – of a topless Ms Windsor covering herself with her hands – was seen on the cover of the order of service as mourners paid their last respects at Golders Creen Crematorium in North London after the star died last month on December 10 aged 83.Â
Her third husband Scott Mitchell paid an emotional tribute to the EastEnders and Carry On star, saying: ‘Rest in peace my darling Bar, my love forever Scott.’Â
Stars including David Walliams, Matt Lucas and Christopher Biggins were among those who Flowers spelling out Babs, The Dame and Saucy adorned her coffin, while a topless photo from her Carry On days was included in the order of service, accompanied by her quote: “That picture will follow me to the end”.
Mr Mitchell, who was married to Dame Barbara for 20 years, wrote below it: “Yep!!! Rest in peace my darling Bar, my love forever Scott xx.”  Â
Also in attendance at the funeral, which had reduced attendees in accordance with Government coronavirus restrictions, was actor Ross Kemp, who played Dame Barbara’s on-screen son in EastEnders.Â
Famed for her infectious laugh and baring all in the Carry On films, the Shoreditch-born actress known as ‘Babs’ boasted a 66-year career in showbiz, first appearing on stage aged 13 before retiring four years ago aged 79.Â
As dementia took its toll, 4ft 10ins Dame Barbara was forced to stop playing fearsome landlady Peggy Mitchell on EastEnders.Â
Mr Mitchell said on December 11 that his ‘best friend and soul mate’ passed away peacefully in a London care home at 8.35pm the night before. He had moved into her home a few days earlier to be by her side when she died.
Scott Mitchell, Dame Barbara Windsor’s third husband, arrives at Golders Green Crematorium in London this afternoon
Mr Mitchell, pictured today, said on December 11 that his ‘best friend and soul mate’ passed away peacefully in a London care home at 8.35pm the night before
A mourner holding the order of service at the funeral of Barbara Windsor at the Golders Green Crematorium in London. The picture shows a topless Windsor, with the quote ‘That picture will follow me to the end,’ along with a comment from her husband Scott saying ‘Yep! Rest in peace my darling’
Pictured:Â Flower arrangements at the funeral of Dame Barbara Windsor at Golders Green Crematorium on January 08, 2021 in London, spell out the word ‘Babs’ – MsWindsor was known as ‘Babs’
Another floral arrangement at Ms Windsor’s funeral spelled out ‘Saucy’ as mourners gathered to pay heir last respects at Golders Creen Crematorium in North London after the star died last month on December 10 aged 83
Barbara Windsor’s coffin arrive at the funeral being held for the actress at Golders Green Creamtorium in London
The funeral cortege of Dame Barbara Windsor arrives at Golders Green Crematorium, north London, ahead of a private ceremony
Famed for her infectious laugh and baring all in the Carry On films, the east London-born actress universally known as ‘Babs’, boasted a 66-year career in showbiz, first appearing on stage aged 13 before retiring four years ago aged 79
The funeral cortege of Dame Barbara Windsor arrives at Golders Green Crematorium, north London, ahead of a private ceremony
Dean Gaffney, left, and Christopher Biggins, right, were among the stars to attend the funeral of legendary actress Barbara Windsor today
Jane Moore, left, and David Walliams, right, were among the stars to attend the funeral of legendary actress Barbara Windsor today
Ross Kemp (centre) arrives at Golders Green Crematorium, north London, for the private funeral service of Dame Barbara Windsor
The funeral cortege of Dame Barbara Windsor arrives at Golders Green Crematorium, north London, ahead of a private ceremony
Floral tributes outside Golders Green Crematorium following the private funeral service for Dame Barbara Windsor today
Matt Lucas arrives at Golders Green Crematorium, north London, for the private funeral service of Dame Barbara Windsor
David Walliams and Matt Lucas attend the service for Dame Barbara Windsor at Golders Green Crematorium, north London
Hair and make-up artist Gary Cockerill arrives at Golders Green Crematorium, north London, for the private funeral service of Dame Barbara Windsor
Dame Barbara Windsor’s coffin is carried into Golders Green Crematorium, north London, ahead of a private ceremony
Flowers that read ‘Saucy’ were in the hearse which arrived at Golders Green Crematorium for the funeral this afternoon
The funeral cortege of Dame Barbara Windsor arrives at Golders Green Crematorium, north London, ahead of a private ceremony
Flowers that read ‘Babs’ were in the hearse which arrived at Golders Green Crematorium for the funeral this afternoon
David Walliams attends the funeral of Dame Barbara Windsor at Golders Green Crematorium in London this afternoon
Scott Mitchell watches on as the coffin of his late wife Dame Barbara Windsor arrives at Golders Green Crematorium
Mourners mingle outside Golders Green Crematorium in London before the funeral of Dame Barbara Windsor
Members of the media await the arrival of the cortege of British film and television star Barbara Windsor at Golders Green crematorium in London
The cortege of British film and television star Barbara Windsor arrives at Golders Green crematorium in London
General views during the funeral of Dame Barbara Windsor at Golders Green Crematorium earlier this afternoon
The coffin of British film and television star Barbara Windsor is carried into Golders Green crematorium in London
Mr Mitchell has shared the order of service for her funeral because Covid restrictions have limited the number of mourners who can attend.
He said: ‘As Covid has denied so many of Barbara’s family, friends and fans a chance to say farewell properly, I wanted to share the order of service to let people be a small part of it.
‘My heart goes out to every family who have experienced the same restrictions at their loved ones funerals.’
He added: ‘I would again like to thank my family, friends, the media and the public for their incredible support and well wishes since Barbara’s passing.
‘Barbara’s condolences page for Alzheimer’s Research UK has passed the £150,000 mark. Beyond anything we may have dreamed of.’
The service, which was also attended by Loose Women’s Jane Moore and EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick, featured tributes from Kemp, Biggins and Dame Barbara’s former co-star Anna Karen.
Kemp, who played Windsor’s son Grant Mitchell in EastEnders – paid a moving tribute to his co-start at the funeral, hailing her ‘common touch’.
‘She had time for everyone and anyone, no matter who or what they were. She was a diplomat who could walk with queens and princes, gangsters and politicians but she never lost the common touch.
Kemp also praised Ms Windsor’s husband Scott, saying while she had other husbands, ‘there was only one true love of her life. And that was always Scott,’ pointing to the work the pair did to raise £4 million for the couple’s Dementia Revolution after her diagnosis in 2018.
He ended his eulogy, saying ‘You were brave enough to publicly face Alzheimer’s and help remove the stigma attached to it. You were a Dame of the British Empire, a Member of the British Empire, the nation loved you, we all loved you. And we will miss you very much.’Â
The coffin was brought into the ceremony to Frank Sinatra’s On The Sunny Side Of The Street and mourners sang hymns Jerusalem and The Lord Is My Shepherd.
The order of service featured a collection of photos of Dame Barbara throughout her career and personal life, including on the set of EastEnders, with the Queen and on her Carry On films, as well as with her husband.
Dame Barbara’s recording of Sparrows Can’t Sing from her 1963 film of the same name was played as the recessional music.
The order of service finished with the famous topless photo of Dame Barbara from the film Carry On Camping, accompanied by her quote: ‘That picture will follow me to the end’.
Mitchell wrote below it: ‘Yep!!! Rest in peace my darling Bar, my love forever Scott xx.’
The couple have been widely praised for their work raising awareness for Alzheimer’s disease after the actress went public with her diagnosis in 2018.
Mr Mitchell arrived at the crematorium in the first funeral car, ahead of a car containing his mother Rita Mitchell, who introduced the couple, and his sister Marsha and brother-in-law Laurence, who make up his Covid bubble.Â
A JustGiving page set up as a tribute to Dame Barbara and in aid of Alzheimer’s Research UK has raised more than £145,000, reaching more than £150,000 with Gift Aid, and people have the option of donating in lieu of flowers.
Giving an emotional tribute, Ross Kemp – who played Peggy’s son Grant Mitchell on EastEnders – spoke about how the nation fell in love with his co-star.Â
A REAL East End legend: How 4ft 10in Barbara Windsor – the barrow boy’s daughter who married three times and became a friend of the Krays – towered over British showbusiness for more than 60 years
A Cockney icon decades before she set foot in Albert Square, three-times married Dame Barbara Windsor’s off-screen life was as colourful as that of any of the characters she portrayed.Â
An East End legend from her days with the Krays to ordering enemies to ‘Get outta my pub’ – 4ft 10in ‘Babs’ towered over British showbusiness for more than 60 years.Â
The 83-year-old cockney heroine Dame Barbara Windsor died last month at a London care home after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease six years ago.
With her irresistible chuckling laugh and signature crop of bright blonde hair, she became one the nation’s stars as a buxom blonde in the Carry On films.
Successfully crossing the generational divide, she later became just as revered for her role as Peggy Mitchell in EastEnders as the Queen Victoria landlady who often yelled at rogue drinkers ‘get outta my pub.’Â
She was born Barbara Ann Deeks on August 6, 1937, in Shoreditch in east London to father John, a barrow boy, and her dressmaker mother Rose.
From an early age Dame Barbara was sent to elocution lessons by her mother, who she once described as a ‘snobby East-Ender’.
At 15, her parents divorced and she was required to give evidence in court, but her testimony caused her father to abandon her. The pair never properly resolved their feud.
She later said that the moment ‘haunted’ her for years, because she was a ‘daddy’s girl’ and she had not been able to share his side of the story.
Dame Barbara Windsor as pub landlord Peggy Mitchell dishes out a slap in the Queen Victoria to Frank Butcher (Mike Reid) as Pat Evans (Pam St Clement) stands close by in EastEnders. Peggy’s sharp tongue was not the only weapon in her arsenal – she also liked to give her enemies a good slap when she got really riled. Several characters were on the receiving end over the years. In 2000, Peggy discovered husband Frank was having an affair with his ex-wife Pat and was planning to run away with her. Peggy humiliated the couple in front of everyone in the Queen Vic by reading out a letter detailing their plan to flee. ‘One thing I’ve learned since I’ve been married to Mr Butcher is never underestimate his capacity to make a cock-up of things,’ she cried before slapping them both
Barbara Windsor and her husband Ronnie Knight with gangster Reggie Kray (right) and his wife Frances Shea (left) at the El Morocco nightclub, owned by the Kray Twins in Soho, London, 30th April 1965
Actress Barbara Windsor pouring champagne for her husband Ronnie Knight as her mother Rose looks on after the first night of Sing a Rude Song at the Garrick Theatre in 1970
Pictured in Carry On Camping in 1969 (left) and on Eastenders (right). Dame Barbara had enjoyed a glittering career in showbusiness and was also well known for her portrayal of the ‘good time girl’ in the Carry On series between 1964 and 1974
Dame Barbara starring in Carry on Again Doctor with Jim Dale and Hattie JacquesÂ
Barbara Windsor in ‘Carry on Abroad’, 1972 and alongside Sid James in the same film (right). She married Ronnie Knight, an associate of the notorious criminals Ronald and Reginald Kray, in 1964, but during their marriage, Dame Barbara had a well-publicised affair with her Carry On co-star Sid James.
Barbara (pictured as a child) was born in Shoreditch to a fruit and veg cart seller and a dressmaker
Dame Barbara’s first film appearance came in 1954’s The Belles Of St Trinians, but it was not until her appearances in the Carry On films that she rose to national prominence.
The star’s debut in the comedy series saw her star alongside Bernard Cribbins in Carry On Spying in 1964.
She appeared in nine of the 31 Carry On films, but was mostly associated with Carry On Camping and the memorable and risque scene in which her bikini top springs off during an exercise routine.
With her blonde hair and infectious giggle, the 4ft 10ins star instantly became popular with audiences, before her final appearance in 1974’s Carry On Dick.
She later said that she was typecast after appearing in the films.
‘Years after it ended, no-one would give me a part where I played my age,’ she told the Daily Express in 2007.
‘People would get tunnel vision and only see the Carry On films.’
Other roles over the years included a small part in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, opposite Dick Van Dyke, Ken Russell’s The Boy Friend and On The Fiddle with Sean Connery.
As well as her screen career, Dame Barbara was known for treading the boards, having made her stage debut at the age of 13, before going on to land her first West End role in the chorus of Love From Judy in 1952.
She also starred on Broadway in a production of Oh, What A Lovely War!, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award.
Years later, fame came knocking again for Dame Barbara when she made her debut as Peggy Mitchell in EastEnders in 1994, starring alongside Ross Kemp and Steve McFadden as her fictional sons Grant and Phil, and Mike Reid as on-screen husband Frank Butcher.
A beloved member of the cast, she was at the heart of many of the soap’s most famous storylines.Â
Peggy’s storylines saw her instigate a hate campaign against HIV positive Mark Fowler, played by Todd Carty. She started an affair with Frank Butcher, engaged in cat-fights with his ex-wife Pat, escaped two failed marriages, and lost and regained ownership of the Queen Vic pub countless times.
When her character contracted breast cancer, she wrote many letters of advice to viewers who contacted her about their own struggles with the disease.
In 2003, Dame Barbara suffered an attack of the Epstein-Barr virus which forced her to take a break from EastEnders from 2003 to 2005. She returned briefly for two episodes in 2004.
In 2009, Dame Barbara announced she would be leaving the soap for good in order to spend more time with her third husband Scott Mitchell, who she married in 2000 and who was 25 years her junior.
The following year her character exited the soap after a fire at her pub.
She popped up on handful of occasions over the years before reprising the role for a final time in 2016, where it was announced that Peggy would be killed off after losing her battle with breast cancer.
Her final scenes aired in May 2016 in an emotional episode that left viewers weeping.
Her performances as Peggy earned her numerous awards including best actress at the 1999 British Soap Awards and best exit at the 2016 Inside Soap Awards.
But her most prestigious accolade came in 2016, when she was made a Dame in for her services to charity and entertainment from The Queen.
At the time, she said: ‘I am so very honoured, proud and extremely humbled by this honour.
‘I feel so lucky to live in a country I love, a job I have always adored which has allowed me to be in a position where I am able to help others.
‘For a girl from the East End born into a working-class family and an evacuee during World War Two, this is truly like a dream. I am so happy and blessed to say it’s real.
As well as her EastEnders role dominating her later years, in 2010 she voiced Mallymkun the Dormouse in Tim Burton’s live action adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s Alice In Wonderland and in 2016’s Alice Through The Looking Glass.
In 2017, the BBC aired a biopic film called Babs, charting her rise to fame, penned by EastEnders scriptwriter Tony Jordan and starring Jaime Winstone and Samantha Spiro as younger versions of the star.
She said watching it back and reliving the biggest moments in her life was a ‘very emotional experience for me’.
‘I managed to get through it without completely breaking down but at the end I stood up and walked out of the room and had a good cry,’ she added.
One of Dame Barbara’s most famous scenes was in 1969’s Carry On Camping, when her bikini top flew off in the middle of an exercise class (left). Right:Â Dame Barbara in Aladdin aged 20
Windsor in Carry on Again Doctor in 1969
Windsor starring in the risque Carry on Again Doctor film in 1969
Barbara Windsor in Carry on Again Doctor in 1969
The Dame (pictured in Carry On Abroad) was also a self-proclaimed ‘Tory and fervent nationalist’ and once declared that anyone who didn’t wear a poppy for Remembrance Day should ‘sod off’
Barbara Windsor and Sid James starring in Carry on Henry in 1971
The Queen visited Elstree Studios – where EastEnders is filmed – in 2001. There she met Dame Barbara who played Peggy Mitchell
Dame Barbara played Peggy Mitchell (pictured) on the soap from 1994 until she left for good in 2016
Windsor as Daphne Honeybutt in Carry On Spying in 1964 (right), and posing for a risque New Year Year shoot in 1969 (left)
British actress Barbara Windsor poses with her insignia as she poses for a photograph with her husband Scott Mitchell, after being appointed a Dame Commander of the order of the British Empire (DBE) in March 2016
Peggy Mitchell, played by Barbara Windsor, in her most famous role. She captured the hearts of the nation with her performance as the landlady of the Queen Victoria pub and mother of Grant and Phil Mitchell (played by Ross Kemp and Steve McFadden)Â
Barbara Windsor posing for a promotional photo in 1961 (left) and waving farewell before leaving London Airport for her first ever visit to the United States in 1963
Much of what was shown in the film focused on her showbiz career, which had been dogged by heartache – from her strained relationship with her father to her relationship woes.
While happily married to former actor and recruitment consultant Mr Mitchell in her later years, the actress had a more turbulent personal life before settling down with him.
She married Ronnie Knight, an associate of the notorious criminals Ronald and Reginald Kray, in 1964, but during their marriage, Dame Barbara had a well-publicised affair with her Carry On co-star Sid James.
She divorced Knight 21 years after they married when he fled to Spain, wanted by police in connection with the £6 million Security Express robbery in 1983.
In 1986 she married chef Stephen Hollings, 20 years her junior. They opened a pub together in Amersham in Buckinghamshire, but divorced after nine years.
She married Mr Mitchell in 2000, after first meeting him in 1992.
Dame Barbara never had children and spoke openly about having had five abortions, but in 2017 she said that she did not regret not becoming a mother.
‘I consider myself to be a warm and lovely person but I never had any maternal feelings,’ she told The Sun in 2017.
Dame Barbara Windsor (pictured left) attends a Service of Thanksgiving for the Life and Work of comedian Ronnie Corbett at Westminster Abbey on June 7, 2017 in London. Pictured right she appears in Carry on Girls in 1973
The EastEnders star with David Walliams and his mother. In 2016, Barbara won the Outstanding Contribution Award at the TV Choice Awards, and Best Exit at the Inside Soap Awards, for her portrayal of Peggy’s death.
Outside of the showbiz world she was made a Dame (pictured) in the Years Honours List in 2016 for her services to charity and entertainment
Both Dame Barbara and her husband campaigned to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s following her diagnosis. In 2019, she delivered a letter to Boris Johnson (pictured meeting the PM) pleading for better dementia provisions for sufferers
Mr Johnson kisses television actor Barbara Windsor during a meeting in London on September 2, 2019
Barbara Windsor in Carry on Dick in 1974 (left) and in Carry on Camping in 1969
Barbara Windsor (right) and Pam St Clement as they look back on the good old days to celebrate the 30th anniversary of EastEnders
Barbara Windsor in Carry on Doctor in 1968. Doctor Tinkle presides over the wards at Borough County Hospital, where patients, doctors and nurses alike all harbour hidden passions for each other. His stern demeanour is disrupted by the arrival of Nurse Sandra May (Windsor), a young woman from his past who raises the blood pressure of the entire male hospital population. His underhand plots with the matron to dismiss one of the more popular doctors inspire, of all things, a patients’ revolt!
Composer Lionel Bart encouraging Barbara Windsor during dress rehearsals for Twang! in 1965
Starring in Carry on Camping in 1969 (left) and with co-star Sid James welcoming guests to a party for ITV’s Christmas performers at the New London Theatre
In May 2018, Mr Mitchell revealed in an interview that Dame Barbara had been living with Alzheimer’s after being diagnosed in April 2014.
In August 2020 Mr Mitchell revealed that Dame Barbara had been moved to a care home as she struggled with her advancing dementia.
A heartbroken Mr Mitchell said the former EastEnders star left the couple’s home in mid-July.
Speaking to The Sun, he said: ‘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.’Â
Barbara Windsor starring in Carry on Abroad in 1972
Barbara Windsor and Jim Dale in Carry on Again Doctor in 1969
Barbara Windsor and Kenneth Williams in Carry on Doctor in 1968
Windsor with Sid James (left) and Bernard Bresslaw in Carry On Girls, 1973
The actress in ‘Carry on Dick’ in 1974. Outside of the showbiz world She was a fervent campaigner for the NHS and for many years was the face of the annual British legion appeal and an ambassador for Age UK
Barbara’s husband Scott Mitchell revealed how his wife began to cry in the neurologist’s office when they were given the bad news in April 2014
Mr Mitchell, Dame Barbara’s husband of 20 years, said she had moved to a care home in London and he had decorated her room to make it as welcoming as possible.
The actress and Mr Mitchell campaigned throughout her illness to raise awareness, and in 2019 they visited Downing Street for a meeting about dementia – during which she showed off her cheeky side by asking Prime Minister Boris Johnson for a kiss.
Dame Barbara delivered a letter signed by 100,000 people to Mr Johnson pleading for better care for fellow sufferers.
Mr Johnson held the ailing actress’ hand as they sat in the garden, discussing the limitations of dementia care in the UK.
Dame Barbara as Peggy Mitchell in EastEnders – along with her on-screen sons Grant Mitchell (played by Ross Kemp) and Phil Mitchell (played by Steve McFadden)
Barbara Windsor poses and smiles for the camera with Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly at the Bafta Awards in London in 2000
Barbara Windsor and David Walliams during Matt Lucas & Kevin McGee – Civil Partnership – Reception in London
Windsor and Jimmy Logan in Carry on Abroad
Joan Sims and Barbara Windsor in Carry on ChristmasÂ
Windsor in Carry on Abroad
Kenneth Williams and Barbara Windsor in Carry on Christmas
Barbara Windsor in her dressing room preparing for her part in ‘Oh! What a Lovely War’ at the Broadhurst Theatre, Broadway, New York City, 6th November 1964
Barbara Windsor in Carry on Doctor, 1968
At the end of their afternoon chat, Dame Barbara turned to the Conservative leader and asked: ‘Can I have a kiss?’.
Among those supporting her since her diagnosis was her close friend and former EastEnders co-star Ross Kemp.
Kemp, who played Grant Mitchell on Albert Square for more than 25 years alongside Dame Barbara as his on-screen mother, went on to make an ITV programme called Living With Dementia.
In the programme, which aired in June 2020, Kemp, 56, explained that her illness was the reason he decided to explore the disease on screen.
