Barbara Windsor - Peggy Mitchell

[alan45]

Barbara Windsor has spoken of her discontent at the standards of punctuality on EastEnders.



"Punctuality is important to me. You have to be early and dressed. There were no jeans in my day.

Getting dressed never bothered her before

[Glen1]

Triple lol, Alan.

[alan45]

The actress left the BBC soap as Peggy Mitchell in September 2010, after first appearing in 1991.


She explained that she decided to leave the soap as she had begun "taking it home" too often, making home life difficult for her husband Scott Mitchell.

"I am steady, I know the business – I have been in it 63 years. I enjoy it, I like the public very much," she told The Mirror.

"I never take it home with me. Then one day my husband sat me down and he said, 'You know, Barbara, you are bringing it through the front door. Everything is Peggy this, EastEnders that. You are not switching off at all'.

"He said we didn't go anywhere, we didn't go to the movies or the theatre. So when they gave me that Saturday that was the thing that did it.

"It meant come Sunday I was learning my lines again. You hit an age when you have to study that bit harder – unless you are June Brown who, at 84, can pick it up and learn it in a second. But that did it."

Windsor stated that she didn't want her soap role to ruin her marriage, and that she is happy that she made the right decision.

"I don't want to kill what we have. He is much younger than me and it's not fair to him. I am very lucky, we have been together for over 20 years now and I thought, 'That's it'.

"That's when I decided to go. Hard it was, but I have been really happy since I left and we have had a great life. And now I can get away when we want.

"Me and Scott have had a lot more quality time together and we have had more *holidays. When I got a holiday on EastEnders I would be taking a script with me. I couldn't relax and leave it behind."

She added: "I am not like my image, I take my work so seriously. Everyone thinks I just bounce in but I study and everything has to be just right.

"I check all my props, *everything. Acting is something I love. I have done it since I was 13 but it had completely taken over my life absolutely."

[alan45]

The actress left the BBC soap as Peggy Mitchell in September 2010, after first appearing in 1991.


She explained that she decided to leave the soap as she had begun "taking it home" too often, making home life difficult for her husband Scott Mitchell.

"I am steady, I know the business – I have been in it 63 years. I enjoy it, I like the public very much," she told The Mirror.

"I never take it home with me. Then one day my husband sat me down and he said, 'You know, Barbara, you are bringing it through the front door. Everything is Peggy this, EastEnders that. You are not switching off at all'.

"He said we didn't go anywhere, we didn't go to the movies or the theatre. So when they gave me that Saturday that was the thing that did it.

"It meant come Sunday I was learning my lines again. You hit an age when you have to study that bit harder – unless you are June Brown who, at 84, can pick it up and learn it in a second. But that did it."

Windsor stated that she didn't want her soap role to ruin her marriage, and that she is happy that she made the right decision.

"I don't want to kill what we have. He is much younger than me and it's not fair to him. I am very lucky, we have been together for over 20 years now and I thought, 'That's it'.

"That's when I decided to go. Hard it was, but I have been really happy since I left and we have had a great life. And now I can get away when we want.

"Me and Scott have had a lot more quality time together and we have had more *holidays. When I got a holiday on EastEnders I would be taking a script with me. I couldn't relax and leave it behind."

She added: "I am not like my image, I take my work so seriously. Everyone thinks I just bounce in but I study and everything has to be just right.

"I check all my props, *everything. Acting is something I love. I have done it since I was 13 but it had completely taken over my life absolutely."

[Glen1]

That Barbara comes as a great relief to you, your husband , me, and quite a few EE viewers I guess!!!!

[Perdita]

Former EastEnders star Barbara Windsor has said that the soap's bosses want her back.

The actress appeared on ITV's This Morning today (April 24) and revealed that she is "tempted" to reprise her role as Peggy Mitchell after being approached by the show's producers.

Windsor left EastEnders in 2010, explaining that she wanted to spend more time with her husband Scott Mitchell.

However, speaking today, the 75-year-old confessed: "I miss EastEnders, I absolutely do. I loved it, but I was exhausted when I left - absolutely exhausted.

"They asked me to go back recently. They've asked a couple of times for me to go back, but I then think about it and I don't sleep."

Asked whether she wasn't tempted by the offer, Windsor continued: "I am, that's the point - I am tempted. But Scott says, 'You have to really think about it'. Towards the end, I was so exhausted and not sleeping at night, and waking up and looking at the script.

"It became too much part of my life. If you're like me, I take every single job like it's my last time. If I'm called in at 6.30am, I'm in at 6am. It's my own fault.

"Fortunately I see Steve McFadden, I see June [Brown] and I see Pam St Clement a lot, so I do see them. I've been down to a couple of parties, but I'm not going to go to any more because I get that feeling when I come back."

She concluded: "It was just that when they asked me to go back, I got all very excited and then - as I say - I started waking up in the night. I'm not quite ready for it, but I love the show and I wish it all the best always."

Windsor's final EastEnders scenes aired in September 2010, as Peggy bowed out from Walford following a huge fire at the Queen Vic.

[Glen1]

Hells Bells , WHY ? What on earth are the producers thinking about ?

[alan45]

To boost the ratings. Hard as it may be to believe but some people like this sad old crone

[tammyy2j]

Who could she fight with now as Pat is dead, Cora perhaps?

I expect she wont like Phil being with Sharon

[Brucie]

Someone ought to remind them that two wrongs don't make a right. Bringing Letitia Dean back was their worst idea ever - now it looks like they want to double up on that calamity.