Barbara Windsor does not remember a friend's name anymore, says Kellie Shirley of the EastEnders

Barbara Windsor is struggling to remember the names of her friends just five months after the announcement of the diagnosis of her Alzheimer's disease, confirmed her co-star of the EastEnders, Kellie Shirley.

Babs, who played the role of Queen Victoria's beloved mistress, Peggy Mitchell, in the BBC's long-running soap opera, was diagnosed with the degenerative disease in 2014, but she and her husband, Scott Mitchell, were decided to inform the fans last October after the deterioration of his condition.

Now, Kellie says her old friend does not know what she's calling.

"Remembering things is an important part of my acting job, your memories are so important to your personality, that's how I feel about Barbara. as clear as day, but she does not remember my name anymore, "Kellie told Sunday Express S.

"We always have fun moments, it's not always dark, it's hardcore, it's a cruel disease that takes you out of memory.

"Whenever I'm in town for an audition, I meet Barbara and Scott for a cup of tea, I've always done it, I'm training with Scott so we meet on a Friday, run together and I find the race so boring that chatting makes time go on. "

Kellie added that Barbara was a great help when Kellie started playing the role of actress. She always gave him "pearls of wisdom" and shared "tricks of the trade".

The older actress would also rebadure her liar on the EastEnders set if Kellie feels her scenes were not good enough.

"I find the resilience that she inspired," Kellie added. "I've been friends with her for more than 10 years, she tells me the most perfect things and she's a charming and generous woman, it's hard to see how she lives with dementia."

In honor of Barbara, Kellie, along with Scott and many former Babs co-stars, including Adam Woodyatt and Emma Barton, are organizing the London Marathon this year to raise £ 100,000 for disease research. d & # 39; Alzheimer's.

Ross Kemp, who played the role of Peggy's son, Grant Mitchell, on the soap opera, recently revealed how hard Scott found things to be really taking care of Barbara.

"She's lovely, I'm going to see her but it's getting harder and harder," he says.

Earlier this year, Scott revealed that her condition was so severe that she needed 24-hour nursing care and that she "could not be left alone".