It may not be too soon from the time when Barbara comes back to Eastenders, the actress is attending an opening of a bingo hall in Reading soon, so may be on the road to feeling better, if the deafening cry of ’two fat ladies - 88’ doesn’t do her ears some damage first!

Award for Babs! - 08/12/03
Barbara Windsor said she was ’gobsmacked’ to have been honoured with a lifetime achievement award.

Babs was presented with the award at the Women in Film and Television Awards. The ceremony was held at London’s Hilton Hotel and she was presented with her award by former Eastender ’son’ Ross Kemp.

Barbara is currently on a break from Eastenders due to illness, and still has to walk with the aid of crutches. She was diagnosed with Epstein-Barr virus in March this year and subsequently fell down the stairs, and broke her ankle. She said she did not know when she would return to EastEnders, but hoped to do so by late next year.

Windsor in Radio Times homage - 08/07/03
Eastender Barbara Windsor will be one of the many stars immortalised as art world classics in a series of paintings to mark their status as national treasures.

Babs, currently taking a break from EastEnders to recharge her batteries, is pictured in Manet’s A Bar At The Folies Bergere. Radio Times bosses chose 12 stars who have won the affection of the British public and whom they felt could rightly be called national treasures.

Danniella Carries On - 22/05/04
The saucy role that made Shoreditch lass Babs famous has been taken over by Danniella Westbrook.

Barbara Windsor became a household name due to the Carry On films, (or actually for the bra - pinging scene from Carry On Camping), and then went on to star in Eastenders. Danniella Westbrook became a household name due to Eastenders (or actually that fact her nose fell off due to cocaine use), and now has bagged the prime dizzy blonde role in the Carry On films. Freaky!

Danniella beat Denise Van Outen and Kerry McFadden to win the role in a new film called Carry On London. She will join David Jason, Graham Norton, Dale Winton and Burt Reynolds in the comedy film set around a limousine firm who are hired to take celebs to The Herberts - the British equivalent of The Oscars.

Square departure - 01/04/03
Barbara Windsor is to take an immediate break from EastEnders because of poor health.

Barbara was due to take a year-long break from the show from May but due to a virus that has left her tired and feeling low, she will be leaving the show with immediate effect. She has been suffering from the Epstein-Barr virus, which is linked to glandular fever in teenagers. Her manager Barry Burnett said: "It is generally known that Barbara Windsor’s condition of Epstein Barr, a strain of glandular fever, is an unpredictable illness."

Although Barbara was set to finish filming on May 2nd, the condition has flared up to such an extent that the probability is Barbara will be unable to fulfil filming commitments for the last month of her contract."

Barbara Windsor involved in car crash - 30/10/02
Barbara Windsor was rushed to hospital after sustaining head injuries when a black cab she was in had a collision with a van in Oxford Street.

She was taken to University College Hospital and is said to be in a stable condition. Gary Rossi, whose van was involved in the accident, told The Sun: "I couldn’t believe it when I saw her spark out on the cab’s floor. "After a few minutes she came round. She wasn’t bleeding but she seemed very groggy and badly shaken."