{"id":451,"date":"2025-12-11T02:40:55","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T02:40:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/frostpronie.com\/?p=451"},"modified":"2025-12-11T02:40:58","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T02:40:58","slug":"it-really-hurt-scott-mitchell-confronts-cruel-critics-of-his-new-romance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/frostpronie.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/11\/it-really-hurt-scott-mitchell-confronts-cruel-critics-of-his-new-romance\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It Really Hurt\u2019: Scott Mitchell Confronts Cruel Critics of His New Romance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Scott found love again after losing Barbara – but will never forget her(Image: Getty Images)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dame Barbara Windsor\u2019s widower, Scott Mitchell<\/strong>, has opened up about the painful backlash he faced after finding love again, five years after the beloved entertainer\u2019s death. Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Mirror, Scott reflected on Barbara\u2019s extraordinary legacy \u2014 and the unexpected cruelty he encountered when he revealed his new relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scott, 62, who has become a prominent campaigner for dementia awareness since caring for Barbara through her battle with Alzheimer\u2019s, went public last year with his romance with actress Tanya Franks<\/strong>, 58. Tanya is familiar to fans of EastEnders<\/em> as Rainie Cross \u2014 and shares Scott\u2019s personal connection to dementia, having lost her stepfather Derek to the disease after an 11-year fight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Scott admitted there’s always someone to comment ‘That was quick!’ when you move on(Image: Ken McKay\/ITV\/REX\/Shutterstock)<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the happiness their relationship has brought, Scott revealed that not everyone responded with kindness.
\u201cThere\u2019s always someone who says, \u2018That was quick,\u2019\u201d he admitted. \u201cIt\u2019s so easy for people behind a screen to judge, especially on social media. What they forget is that their words can really hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, Scott describes his relationship with Tanya as \u201cwonderful,\u201d explaining that she fully understands and respects the enormous place Barbara still holds in his life. Tanya\u2019s compassion, he says, gives him the freedom to speak openly about his late wife and his years as her caregiver.
\u201cShe\u2019s never made me question whether it\u2019s okay to talk about Barbara,\u201d he shared. \u201cIf I ever thought it caused her pain, I wouldn\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Scott and Tanya first became friends as they trained for the London marathon as part of ‘Bab’s Army'(Image: NurPhoto via Getty Images)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tanya often stands beside him during his talks about caring for someone with Alzheimer\u2019s. Scott begins each one by acknowledging her support: \u201cBefore we start, I always thank her for allowing me to share my story.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Touchingly, Scott revealed that Barbara herself had been fond of Tanya when they met through mutual EastEnders<\/em>connections.
\u201cBarbara liked Tanya \u2014 she\u2019d say, \u2018She asks sensible questions about acting!\u2019\u201d he recalled. \u201cTanya knew her theatre history, and that meant a lot to Barbara.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scott and Tanya\u2019s friendship grew gradually through shared work and charity efforts, including running the London Marathon with the EastEnders<\/em> team as part of \u201cBabs’ Army.\u201d Over time, that friendship evolved into love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Christmas, Scott says, the pair will spend the holiday together with their families \u2014 but will still take time to honour the absence of those they\u2019ve lost. \u201cThere are always empty chairs at Christmas,\u201d he said softly. \u201cWe\u2019ll remember the people who should still be here. That\u2019s how it should be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking back on Barbara\u2019s life, Scott spoke with deep affection and reverence.
\u201cSome people truly earn the title of national treasure \u2014 Barbara was one of them,\u201d he said. \u201cBut for me, I remember her as the woman who made me laugh, who loved me unconditionally, who was honest about her flaws and her past.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He reflected on the decades they shared, describing Barbara as a warm, luminous presence:
\u201cIt took forever for us to walk down a street \u2014 she wanted to talk to everyone. It was like walking with Tinkerbell. She sprinkled her fairy dust everywhere she went.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their love story, he added, was often doubted at first, but ultimately proved unshakeable. \u201cPeople laughed when we got together, but we lasted. It was unconditional love.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Scott found love again after losing Barbara – but will never forget her(Image: Getty Images) Dame Barbara Windsor\u2019s widower, Scott Mitchell, has opened up about the painful backlash he faced after finding love again, five years after the beloved entertainer\u2019s death. Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Mirror, Scott reflected on Barbara\u2019s extraordinary legacy \u2014 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-451","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-khong-phan-loai"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/frostpronie.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/451","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/frostpronie.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/frostpronie.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frostpronie.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frostpronie.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=451"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/frostpronie.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/451\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":455,"href":"https:\/\/frostpronie.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/451\/revisions\/455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/frostpronie.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=451"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frostpronie.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=451"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frostpronie.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}