Ross Kemp says the late Dame Barbara Windsor is 'never far away'
Ross Kemp has a "picture" of the late Dame Barbara Windsor - who played his on-screen mum Peggy Mitchell in EastEnders - in his "office" and is in "frequent" contact with her widower, Scott Mitchell.
Ross Kemp says the late Dame Barbara Windsor is "never far away".
The legendary actress - who played Ross' on-screen mum Peggy Mitchell in EastEnders - died aged 83 in 2020 after a long battle with Alzheimer's, and she is survived by her 62-year-old widower Scott Mitchell.
And Ross - who played Peggy's youngest son Grant Mitchell in the hit BBC soap - has a "picture" of the late star in his "office" and keeps in "frequent" contact with Scott.
The 61-year-old actor told the latest issue of New! magazine: "Oh, Barbara's never far away.
"I've got a picture of her in my office, and I speak to Scott, her widower, on a pretty frequent basis.
"I had a very close relationship with her. I wrote her a eulogy and spoke it at her funeral. She was a very special person.
"And it's interesting that there's a lot of people who often fade away.
"She doesn't seem to have faded away that much, does she? That's testament to how many years that she was in the public eye - and she always had time for the public."
Back in February, Ross reprised his alter ego Grant - which he has played on-and-off since 1990 - for EastEnders' 40th anniversary, and he was reunited with his on-screen brother Phil Mitchell, played by 66-year-old actor Steve McFadden.
And Ross - who first left EastEnders in 1999 and went on to front gritty documentaries - would love to do more acting in the future.
Asked what is next for him, career-wise, the star - who also made returns to the soap in 2005 and 2016 - said: "I'd like to do a bit more acting, to be honest.
"It's always the same, so last year, I did two docs, a game show, and I did EastEnders. You know, variety is the spice of life.
"I'm fortunate to be able to move between genres and make programmes about subjects that I find interesting.
"I don't rule out anything. I think there are some people who do soaps, and then they leave them and want to pretend they were never in them because they find themselves successful in other places.
"That's their decision, and there's nothing wrong with that at all.
"What I will say is, if I've got the opportunity to act in something I think is good and they want me, I'll take the job."
