Eastenders and Carry On actor Dame Barbara Windsor has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, her husband has revealed.

In a recent interview Scott Mitchell, told The Sun that his 80-year-old wife has been suffering with the disease since 2014 when they found out.

Alzheimer’s Society describes the disease as: “The most common cause of dementia. The word dementia describes a set of symptoms that can include memory loss and difficulties with thinking, problem-solving or language.”

Scott said: "Since her 80th birthday last August, a definite continual confusion has set in, so it's becoming a lot more difficult for us to hide.

Some 225,000 people will develop dementia this year in the UK - equivalent to one every three minutes, according to the Alzheimer's Society charity.

Scott added: "I'm doing this because I want us to be able to go out and, if something isn't quite right, it will be OK because people will now know that she has Alzheimer's and will accept it for what it is."

Dame Barbara Windsor is famous for her role in nine Carry On films, and for playing pub landlord Peggy Mitchell in Eastenders.

Barbara's symptoms first showed themselves in 2009, just before she left EastEnders for the first time, when she began finding it difficult to learn her lines.

By 2016, her forgetfulness and confusion were getting worse, and it was agreed she would leave EastEnders for the final time, Mr Mitchell said.

Dame Barbara Windsor is one of around 850,000 people suffering with some form of dementia in the UK.

On average, people with Alzheimer's live for around eight to 10 years after first developing symptoms.

Its exact cause is unknown, but increasing age, family history of the condition, previous severe head injuries and lifestyle factors linked to cardiovascular disease are thought to increase the risk of developing it.

In less than 10 years the number of dementia patients in Britain is predicted to reach a million, soaring to two million by 2051.

Dementia already costs the UK economy more than £26 billion per year, the equivalent of more than £30,000 per person with the condition.

Worldwide, it is estimated there are around 47 million people living with dementia.

Alzheimer's disease is named after Alois Alzheimer, the doctor who first described it.