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Ross Kemp pays moving tribute at Dame Barbara Windsor's funeral

Ross Kemp pays moving tribute at Dame Barbara Windsor's funeral
© BBC
Ross Kemp pays a moving tribute to Dame Barbara Windsor at her funeral service.

Ross Kemp lead the tributes to good friend and former EastEnders co-star Dame Barbara Windsor at her funeral service on Friday.

The national treasure died at the age of 83 last month following a long battle with Alzheimer's disease and was honoured with a service at Golders Green Crematorium in North London.

Due to coronavirus restrictions, her husband of many years Scott Mitchell had to limit the numbers of mourners to just 30 - although many of her showbiz friends, including Christopher Biggins, David Walliams and Matt Lucas, were able to attend.

In his speech, which Mitchell allowed to be published in The Sun, Kemp honoured "a true star that burned brighter and longer than many of her famous contemporaries".

"For me, it was Barbara's generosity that truly stood out, particularly with her time," he said. "And maybe that was what made her a national treasure.

"If you walked down the road with Bar, you knew a five minute walk would take you at least ten to fifteen minutes.

"She had time for everyone and anyone, no matter who or what they were. The public loved her, she loved them back and they loved her even more for it."

The service also featured multiple floral tributes to Windsor, with arrangements reading "Babs", "The Dame" and "Saucy", while a mock EastEnders pub sign honoured "The Queen Peggy".

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Barbara Windsor as Peggy Mitchell in EastEnders
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