Barbara Windsor Biography

Fast Facts

• Took the stage name Windsor, due to inspiration from the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
• Came to prominence as a member of the Carry On team, appearing in nine Carry On films, starting with Carry On Spying in 1964
• Joined the cast of Eastenders in 1994, playing Peggy Mitchell
• She retired from the role in 2009, but in 2016 she returned to the show for a finale run as the popular character
• Appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2000 New Year Honours
• Was given the Freedom of the City of London in August 2010 and in November of that year was honoured by the City of Westminster at a tree planting and plaque ceremony
• Awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of East London in 2014
• A Patron of the Amy Winehouse Foundation
• Was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2016
• Has said she never wanted children after being rejected by her father after her parents' divorce
• In May 2018, her husband revealed that she had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2014
• In January 2019, her husband and some former co-stars from Eastenders announced that they would run the London Marathon in aid of a dementia campaign
• On her 82nd birthday in August 2019, she and her husband became ambassadors for the Alzheimer's Society and urged the public to write to Prime Minister Boris Johnson to let him know of the problems faced by many of those with the disease