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Ross Kemp praises TV mum Barbara Windsor for her bravery after Alzheimer's diagnosis

The EastEnders actor has given fans an update on Barbara's health

barbara windsor ross kemp visit
Sharnaz Shahid
Deputy Online Editor
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Ross Kemp has given fans an update on his "TV mum" Dame Barbara Windsor's health following her Alzheimer's diagnosis. The EastEnders stars - who played mother and son, Peggy and Grant Mitchell, in the soap for over a decade - were reunited when Ross paid his former co-star a visit earlier this week. Appearing on Thursday's Good Morning Britain, he shared: "I went round for a cup of tea and I was there for three and a half hours. Her and her husband Scott have been very brave putting it out there and hopefully it will help other people with the same condition be more open about it."

He added: "What she has done is very brave, she has a great husband in Scott. The more we talk about any issue in our life, the better we are dealing with it." Opening up about their friendship, the star continued: "I had five cups of tea and three shortbread biscuits, which I'm not supposed to have on my diet, and I laughed a lot. She has this great ability, when she walks through that front door, she's 'on'. It was like seeing my second mum."

MORE: Ross Kemp leads support for Barbara Windsor following star's Alzheimer's diagnosis

barbara windsor ross kemp© Photo: Getty Images

Ross Kemp and Barbara Windsor both starred in EastEnders

Ross, who was on GMB to talk about his work for charity Help for Heroes, recently took to his Twitter page to share a picture from his visit. "Visiting my lovely Bar...whoops, I mean Dame Barbara Windsor x," he simply tweeted. In May, Barbara's husband Scott Mitchell revealed that the iconic actress, 80, had been diagnosed with the disease in 2014, and that her condition had worsened in the last few weeks. "Since her 80th birthday last August, a definite continual confusion has set in, so it's becoming a lot more difficult for us to hide," the star's husband told the Sun on Sunday at the time.

STORY: Ross Kemp reunites with EastEnders mum Barbara Windsor following Alzheimer's diagnosis

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