Some love stories don’t end when a person dies.
Some continue — painfully, quietly, bravely — in the people left behind.
And now, Scott Mitchell, widower of national treasure Dame Barbara Windsor, is finally breaking his silence on the storm that erupted the moment he dared to move forward.
For years, he stayed silent. But the truth he shares now is tender, raw… and devastating.
A Love Story Born From Grief — And A Backlash He Never Expected
When Scott Mitchell confirmed his relationship with actress Tanya Franks — a friend, a fellow dementia campaigner, and someone who had once shared screen time with Barbara on EastEnders — the world had opinions.
Cruel ones.
“There’s always that person who says, ‘That was quick’,” Scott confessed.
But what the critics forgot, he said, is that grief is not a timeline — it is a wound. And their words hurt more than they could ever know.
Behind the screens, behind the judgement, was a man who had spent six years caring for his wife as Alzheimer’s stole her memories, her confidence, and eventually her life.
And still, people questioned his right to hope again.
From Husband To Carer — And The Memory That Still Haunts Him
Scott became Barbara’s full-time carer in 2014, long before the public saw the true weight of her decline. He witnessed moments he still struggles to speak about:
“I wish I never had to experience the terror in Barbara’s eyes… when she didn’t know where she was, who I was — who she was. That haunts me.”
Those moments, he says, shattered him in ways the public never saw.
“No human being should have to leave this world the way those suffering with dementia do,” he added.
“That’s why we have to keep talking about it.”
Barbara’s final years were defined not by fame or applause, but by fear — and Scott stayed by her side until her last breath in 2020.
Why Tanya Franks Was Different — And Why Barbara Would Have Approved
Scott and Tanya didn’t fall in love overnight.
Their bond was forged in heartbreak — through running marathons, raising money for Bab’s Army, and fighting for families devastated by dementia.
Tanya, who lost her stepfather to Alzheimer’s after an 11-year battle, understood Scott’s grief instinctively.
“She lets me talk about Barbara any time,” he said softly.
“She never makes me question whether it’s okay.”
It was Tanya’s compassion — not romance — that came first.
And in a revelation that stunned many, Scott said Barbara herself had “liked” Tanya.
The woman who defined an era… may have given her blessing long before she died.
Christmas With Their Families — And A Table With Empty Chairs
This year, Scott and Tanya will spend Christmas together — but joy will share space with remembrance.
“We’ll be remembering our loved ones — as it should be,” Scott said.
Theirs is not a Christmas of denial, but one where love and grief sit side by side, neither cancelling the other out.
The Marathon Of Grief — And The Woman Helping Carry His Miles
Tanya hasn’t only supported Scott; she has helped honour Barbara’s legacy.
This year, she ran the London Marathon for Bab’s Army — a symbolic act that brought tears to thousands following their campaign.
“You often feel alone when caring for someone with Alzheimer’s,” Tanya once said.
“Communication allows the support system to grow.”
And now, that support system includes both of them — for each other, and for Barbara’s memory.
‘Life Is For The Living’ — Scott’s Quiet, Courageous Truth
After years of silence, Scott has one message for the people who criticised him:
“I’m incredibly happy. Me being unhappy and alone is not going to bring Barbara back.”
He speaks these words not with defiance, but with clarity — the clarity of a man who has walked through grief and survived it.
“Life is very much for the living. And we all get one shot at living.”
Yes, people said it was “too soon.”
But they didn’t sit beside Barbara Windsor in the darkest moments.
They didn’t carry the weight of Alzheimer’s.
They didn’t wake up alone after 20 years of marriage.
Scott Mitchell did.
And now, he has chosen to live — not instead of Barbara, but because Barbara would have wanted him to.