Barbara Windsor reveals childhood abuse after being evacuated in World War Two

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by Emma Dodds |
Published on

Dame Barbara Windsor has opened up about the abuse she suffered at the hands of the family whose house she was evacuated to during World War Two

The life of Dame Barbara Windsor has been on everyone's minds the past couple of weeks - especially as the BBC biopic of her life aired over the weekend to very mixed reviews.

But Our Babs has opened up about previously unknown areas of her life in brand new extracts from her autobiography, All Of Me, released to The Mirror.

Barbara Windsor Peggy Mitchell EastEnders
Barbara starred in BBC's EastEnders as Peggy Mitchell for 22 years (Credit: BBC/ EastEnders)

In one particularly distressing passage, Barbara described the days after she was evacuated to Blackpool at the age of six during World War Two from her home in London.

She explained that her mother, Rose, had "resisted" sending her away for as long as she could - until one of Barbara's friends was hit by shrapnel and killed.

She wrote: "Mummy warned me: 'Don't go off with any strange men.'

"There was something wrong with the couple who took me in. First, they insisted I undressed in front of them.

"Then, when I went to bed, the man came into my room and tried to touch me. I said: Mummy said I mustn't be left on my own with a man'.

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Barbara was made a Dame in 2016 (Credit: JOHN STILLWELL/AFP/Getty Images) ©JOHN STILLWELL/AFP/Getty Images

The torture went on for some time: "After that, I used to push furniture against the door, and when he tried to get in I'd scream. Most nights I'd cry myself to sleep."

But Babs wrote that she was "saved" by authorities: "They discovered the couple were really brother and sister, breaking the law by claiming money for looking after me. The last I saw of them was when they were taken away by the police in a Black Maria."

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Samantha Spiro and Jaime Winstone starred as Barbara in the BBC biopic Babs (Credit: BBC Pictures) ©BBC Pictures

What a horrendously awful thing for a six-year-old girl to have to go through.

You can buy Barbara's book All Of Me here.

Do you know anyone who was evacuated during World War Two? Let us know over on Facebook and Twitter.

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