Dame Barbara Windsor's widower splits from EastEnders actress after three years, but the pair vow to stay 'kind' friends

Scott Mitchell, 62, says he and Tanya Franks, 59, who played Rainie Cross in EastEnders, agreed back in April to end their romance. He called it 'a couple of wonderful years together'. The spark had reportedly gone, but Franks was reportedly 'a rock' after Barbara's death. The pair first bonded training for the 2019 London Marathon for dementia causes.

Barbara Windsor died from Alzheimer's aged 83 in December 2020 after 20 years of marriage.

Mitchell hit back at critics who said he moved on too fast: 'How dare you?'

He says Barbara always told him: 'I never want you to be on your own.'