Amanda Barrie, Larry Lamb, Dean Gaffney, Bobby Davro and Richard Arnold pay tribute to Dame Barbara Windsor
Amanda Barrie, Larry Lamb, Dean Gaffney, Bobby Davro and Richard Arnold joined today’s Good Morning Britain to pay tribute to Dame Barbara Windsor.
The legendary actress, best known for her roles in the Carry On films and EastEnders, died aged 83 on Thursday 10 December.
Speaking to Ben Shephard and Charlotte Hawkins, Amanda recalled the last time she saw Barbara at her 80th birthday party, three years ago.
"She was frail but she knew me. Because like everybody in our profession, we all go different ways after a job. June Brown was there, there were just a few of us that had known Barbara a long time. She knew me and she remembered the things that I would prefer to remember. Life does awful things and it’s not fair," she said.
Amanda went on to tell Ben and Charlotte how she and Barbara met when they worked together at a London cabaret club. She revealed: “I knew her for a very long time, probably the longest actually. We met when we worked at Winston’s nightclub off Bond street, 1957 we worked together. She was just so talented, it was amazing to actually see this little tiny creature, a fearless creature with all this talent… She was like a toy, she was this little person that just went ‘zoom’ up there on stage. That talent stayed with her, she was such a good actress...I think she could have had three different careers, Barbara, to be quite honest."
Summing up what Barbara meant to her, Amanda explained: "What she meant, in a funny sort of way, if I think about Barbara, she was part of my youth, that part of your life when everything is in front of you...in our case both of us were lucky, that is a bond you sort of keep as we both started off the same way. I did say to Barbara the last time I saw her, I said, ‘If anybody had let me put money on at Ladbrokes when we were at Winston’s that you were going to be a dame, I would be worth a fortune.’ A less likely dame you’ve ever met. Us toddling round in those mini skirts and heels and eyelashes. That was a good dame.”
Recalling how down to earth Barbara was, actor Bobby Davro said: "That was the lovely thing she was an incredible, generous person…She was just Barbara and we’re going to miss her...I want to say, while I’ve got the opportunity, to keep smiling Scott. She’s at peace now and you were incredible to her. My love to Scott."
Recalling his memories of the actress when they worked on EastEnders together, Dean Gaffney added: "She made everyone feel welcome, that’s the one thing a lot of people say about Barbara. Whether it be the cleaner or the main boss of the show, she knew everyone, she knew everyone’s names, she knew everyone’s families, kids, grandkids, she knew everyone."
Actor Larry Lamb also paid tribute to Barbara when he told Ben and Charlotte: "She was quite a character I tell you. Within Eastenders, she was like the head girl. She insisted that everyone got on. She was a very professional actress."
"She was simply the best of British and she did have a smile for everyone and that’s her legacy...To have her as a neighbour and a pal was a huge honour," GMB's Richard Arnold added.